The Art Of Rebellion

"I stopped caring so much about what people might think if I sung about love and humanity." - Wayne Coyne

Rebellion is change. It is not just breaking rules for the sake of it. True rebellion is moving forward. Rebellion is one of the most crucial elements of the human will.

We experienced unparalleled artistry in the last century and i hope that is a trend that continues. Politicians are apparently the ones making the rules, but the most important figures of recent times were the ones breaking them. We will remember John Lennon much longer than we will remember any politician of the last century. He helped millions of people. He created real hope, not the false sense of security that many politicians seem to fetishize. John Lennon created love, from scratch, through his inner change. And he was a rebel. His first album, Plastic Ono Band, is an absolute unleashing of his own soul. Every song deals head on with events in his life and he shows that he wants to change. As this brutal honesty unfolds, we can feel a sense of change in him. He had never sounded so simply honest. On that album, Lennon was rebelling against the music he had previously made.

To act on rebellion is to be human, to push boundaries. Rebellion is different for each person, whether it is the homosexual coming out in a hateful society or the soldier deciding that they are fighting in an unjust war. But at the heart of rebellion lies the excitement of something new, of change, a sense of danger. A rebel understands that being true to yourself and defending happiness are the ingredients needed for the change to take effect.

My own rebellion came through challenging what i had been taught, finding my self, then throwing it away. We NEED to ask if our leaders and teachers are telling us the right things for us. Staying curious and even skeptical can be rewarding for the person wanting to find truth.

Take music for example. When I listen to music that challenges me, dares me to find it easy to listen to, I am rebelling against my own preconceived notions of what I enjoy, I am losing ego and gaining experience. I have now found a new truth.

Rebellion is not worrying what others think of you. Rebellion is diving headfirst into a passion, a dream. It is knowing that things may not turn out right, but not worrying about it.

At the end of the day, life is fun, and how much fun is up to us. Let's scare ourselves. Lets do things we never thought we could do. Lets find things we never knew existed.

Be yourself. Now forget yourself. That is excitement, danger, experience, happiness. That is rebellion.

- Lee