Conscientious Rebel

I’m a person who some would describe as confident and having healthy self-esteem; while others would say the opposite – low-self esteem, over-emotional etc. And they are probably both correct, but also missing the bigger picture.

What is the bigger picture?

What is it to be a complete human being? There’s a great deal of focus on good vs bad; healthy vs unhealthy. But in my experience we humans are much more complex than polarized opposites. What if we thought of ourselves and others as living along a continuum?

The term Conscientious Rebel is very much based on the idea that most of us are neither heroes or villains. Most of us live somewhere between the two.

At the same time, this idea of having a rebel instinct, or put another way, a tendency toward defying authority is, in my opinion and experience one of the most valueable character traits one can have in this age of rampant consumerism, hyper-advice giving and cradle-to-grave conditioning that the secret to happiness is in reducing uncertainty in life. (Make tons of money to be happy; Eat kale everyday and live to a 100; Get plastic surgery to never look old; Have all the answers and avoid feeling vulnerable; Live in a gated community and never feel unsafe etc.)

But having a bit of rebel inside your heart can funnel that fear of uncertainty into something useful, like questions, for example.

So again, I ask the question, “What is it to be a complete human being?”

Here’s a list of some ideas that I’ve found helpful in this area. They’re both constant and ever-changing, as am I. And as we all are.

1. Between impulse and action is a universe
2. No act of kindness is too late or too small
3. Strive to desire inner silence and stillness more and more
4. You can’t see your own eyes, nor can anyone else see theirs. We need one another
5. Do good without letting others know
6. Expect miracles but do the work
7. Grow wise but not old
8. Surround yourself with people who know secret things
9. Listen from your entirety
10. Value questions more than answers
11. Fight fair whether or not your opponant does and you’ll gain something better than winning
12. Being inappropriate has its place
13. Remove the words “I’m too busy” from your reasoning
14. Say what you mean and mean what you say
15. Not knowing is harder than it sounds
16. Create more than you consume
17. Embrace inconvenience, it’s much more interesting than convenience
18. We each struggle with a wolf and lamb inside, it’s how we struggle, that’s unique
19. Entitlement numbs the soul, gratitude lifts it
20. Know when to laugh at yourself and when to take yourself seriously
21. Care more about others and less about what others think
22. Dance your funky chicken

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