Rebel

A person who is not afraid to say no. A person who swings to a different drum. One who is independant in their beliefs, actions, thoughts, ideas, etc. These are the people who give color to the world.

Apart from literay uses such as »a rebel yell«, probably better understood as »rebellious«, a rebel is someone who is »against« or »in revolt«, as etymology seems to indicate. The capitalized noun is a part of American History, but rebellion can be individualistic, collective and especially extended to all behaviors defying authority. In fact, one could consider that any form of authority generates an opposite form of rebellion. Authority, here, includes law and control of any kind. Legitimacy comes into play on both sides, but individual rebellion is often a state of mind, objecting to anything which involves obedience. In some societies, if not all, the simple act of thinking is a rebellious activity, often characterized by opponents as anger, repugnance or »hard to manage«. A maverick is a rebel, as is an individual for a given collectivity or community.

Whether a rebel is with or without a cause, one may wonder if the cause has the rebel for an effect or if the cause is indeed a reason, motive, ground for rebellion. It remains doubtful wheter or not a cause is served by sheer rebellion. A rebel may serve a cause, but it should not trigger his rebellion. A particular state of things, proposal, decision, law, rule, abuse, idea, order, may be considered as legitimate triggers for rebellion. A »cause« such as »helping the poor« is hardly a motivation for rebellion, while the extent of poverty may be.

Although rebellion can be organized to a certain extent, a rebel cannot be a rebel systematically without becoming a norm and a form of control or authority. This paradox is often observed in rebellious positions gaining consensus, or original thinkers becoming »gurus«. Typically, and almost as paradoxical, all rebellions are not legitimate, whether or not one includes political positions. This is encapsulated in the use of the word »refractory«. »Sclerotic« rebellion is a form of refractoriness, as any system of thought is. Systematic thinking is in direct opposition with the propencity to rebel. Although there are common features between rebellious thinking and anarchy or anarchism, if these two seem to entail the first, rebellion does not necessarily lead to anarchy, but to change.