Rebellion!

I read a quote today that made me think. "Learning is always rebellion...Every bit of new truth discovered is revolutionary to what was believed before."-Margaret Lee Bunbeck. Let that sink in a minute. What images pop into your head when you hear the word rebellion? Tattoos, piercings, alternate lifestyles, stealing, breaking the law, dropping out of high school? Have you ever considered education as a rebellion? Yeah, me neither. James Dean didn't pose with a textbook, it was a t-shirt and a motorcycle and he was the face of rebellion in the 50s. When did we lose sight of how to truly rebel? When did we decide to quit thinking for ourselves. We accept whatever truth that the loudest voice says. How do we know what the truth is?
Throughout history, it has never been the deviants who have led the greatest rebellions, it has always been those who choose to learn. Martin Luther was one of the world's biggest rebels, all because he choose to dig deeper intellectually rather than to accept what the Roman Catholic Church taught as truth. His education led to his rebellion from the accepted. His biggest rebellion? He translated the Bible from Latin to the language of the common people. He gave them the ability to educate themselves instead of having to accept what was being told to them by the controlling faction or by him. Can you say the same thing about yourself? When is the last time that you questioned the norm in an effort to become more educated; to become a rebel? Ironically, those who choose to do what everyone else is doing are in fact, part of the norm; the straight and narrow path. The mere fact that one chooses to follow blindly instead of questioning is the very action of being part of normal society. A bit of a slap in the face there, huh? The next opportunity that you have to make a choice, scare the world to death; make an education decision. Your rebellion may lead us all to a better community!