History of the human species is shaped by an ethereal circle which is episodically raptured by major changes. In a decent number of these rather shocking changes are brought by a rebellion that over time turns into a revolution.
The main definition of the term “rebellion” is outlined as an “opposition to one in authority or dominance”.
Therefore, a rebellious mind can easily be described as an attitude of going against the established, the traditional, the mainstream. It is a position in which individuals find themselves frustrated by the sociological, political or religious, shortly cultural context that frames his or her existence. The consequence is a standing up, a going against, a disobedience to the system’s leaders.
One of the only conditions for someone to become a rebel, is that he has a voice. However this voice may look like. Although, over time the word “rebel” has developed a quite violent and loud connotation, a rebel does not necessarily have to declare his view screaming, or act with fierce or even brutal means. On the contrary, the very starting point of every single “revolution career” starts normally with a seemingly ordinary fact:
A rebel asks questions.
Often existential ones. Often unaskable ones, meaning that a rebel dares to address arguments which the major part of society had not only forgotten to question, but forgotten that it had forgotten to question. This questioning of the established (however conservatory or liberal it might be) is an inherent characteristic of his persona. Some rebels have become leaders that managed to gather around them the masses and influenced historical moments by their speeches. Other rebels chose to educate others in their way of thinking and initiated huge movement (sometimes without ever realizing their personal impact) as it is the case for lots of cultural or religious revolutionaries.
The ability of challenging the authority makes the rebel first and foremost, a critic.
In a society in which tolerance is uplifted and everybody is given a voice to express opinion and identity, rebellion becomes a hard discipline. With the advancement of technology and global interconnection it could be rated rather unchallenging to find acceptance of extra-ordinary worldviews and a tribe of like-minded. The online steals the rebel the bravery of challenging the system, since by using it, he has already become part of it. What is the point of opposing an authority (that thanks to heresy is more and more deprived of its authority) when everybody does so? In all the disorder of political systems and noise of media channels, the rebel can hardly go against by using the same means of communication.
The only option, thus, the rebel is left with, is an intentional and free-willed silencing of his own voice.
Mute Rebellion
is an invitation
to silence
as the ultimate form
of rebelling
in a world
overloaded
with noise.