Conformity holds no value if your aim is to transform the world and enhance its condition.
I have a few individuals in mind, but I won’t disclose their identities; I’d like you to take a shot at figuring it out.
What makes someone a rebel to me?
From my perspective, being a true rebel requires a specific combination of traits and conditions. I’m not referring to typical teenage defiance, but rather to rebellions that can change lives. Many teenage rebels engage in self-destructive behavior and contribute nothing beneficial. A teenage rebel is often largely self-focused, whereas a genuine rebel risks their personal safety for the sake of others.
Here’s my definition of what a rebel is:
– they must defy their personal life circumstances
– they must confront rejection, obstacles, and potential repercussions
– they must oppose the established authorities
– they should question the current concept of how humanity should organize their lives
– they must resist the dominance of the wealthy and powerful
– their quest for a better world puts them in direct danger
This list is comprehensive, yet it encompasses all those who strive for environmentalism, who combat terrorism without weapons, who serve in refugee camps and charitable organizations for the marginalized. The spiritual leaders who dissent and effect significant change, which might later be misinterpreted by human influence, but if you examine their original teachings, they are indeed profound. Notably, Jesus and Buddha.
Both were rebels against their life situations. I admire that. Individuals who rebel possess courage, determination, and a drive that compels them to challenge the existing state of their lives. They both declared NO. They both stepped away from their predetermined paths. They both connected with their inner spirituality and the universal energy that can be referred to in many ways.
They achieved their destinies, whatever those might have been, even if they did not align with societal or parental expectations.
Neither intended to establish religions, yet that is what occurred. That is where humanity intervened – or did they?
Neither sought to create anything; they merely wished to alter how humans interacted with one another and their environment. They aimed for people to learn how to be the best possible version of themselves. They wanted individuals to experience happiness and comprehend love above all else. They both utilized the language of their time to make their messages more relatable to those around them.
The public of their era quickly adopted their teachings, proclaiming, ‘let us establish these two men as our new faith, as we are weary of the old one’. Naturally, they had dissenters too, so not everyone embraced their ideas, but many recognized the wisdom in their teachings and desired to expand their influence — and some just wanted to be part of the movement, which is a common human behavior.
However, most people of that time did not fully grasp what either was conveying. They understood parts but were limited by their capacity to comprehend.
This is a fundamental truth that has always existed. We can only truly comprehend that which fits within our own understanding. Yet, few fully understood and attempted to carry forward these teachings. A handful experienced profound realizations, but even today, most followers are not genuinely attuned to the original messages their pioneers intended for them to heed.
Betrayal of the Founders
Individuals, whether conformist rebels or rebel adherents, who have relied upon the original true rebel eventually seize control. They opt to structure it into organizations with hierarchies, conflicts, and disagreements. If they have even slight differences, they form branches all claiming to represent the accurate interpretation of the original teachings. Rather than each person simply following the teachings within their own hearts and lives, which is what both great figures intended, we ‘non-rebel’ individuals complicate matters with our efforts to establish rules that lead us back to conformity.
This is characteristic of humanity. They identify a wise individual and then distort that wisdom into convoluted frameworks to align with and adapt to other human agendas. We elevate the originator to a divine status and overlook the core of the teachings.
Both men emerged from severely stratified and patriarchal societies. They rejected any embrace of those divisions concerning class, race, or gender. They engaged with the ill and the marginalized. Yet, we continue to render certain individuals outcasts and fail to build an inclusive society. They preached love and peace, yet we still wage wars and kill one another in the name of… what exactly justifies murder??????? Religion????
Buddha dismantled the societal hierarchies of his time. He was born into the