Be A Rebel

Everyday, millions of children march to school withOne year after the death of this man, Calvin
drudgery and resistance. As young children, they gopublished a list of insults of his former enemy."Be a
in open-hearted and free -- at night, they imaginerebel. Because being a conformist means admitting
that their tiny hands can reach up and touch thethat the parts of you that matter are already
birds. The entire world is a new place and thedead.But if that's the case, what does matter? The
fascination of beauty never subsides. But as olderemotions that run rampant through our head, the
adolescents leaving their high school, they gothoughts that we tumble and toss over in our minds
close-minded and bondaged -- at night, they drinkconstantly -- sexual fantasies to memories of our
themselves into passing out and talk about the mostfriends and family, thoughts and ideas about our
popular thing to come, under obligation. The boysfuture, wishes and desires for our current life with
worry about their sexual conquests. The girls worrythose who are close to us. The idea of a living
about their sexual appearance. Both worry aboutfreedom, knowing that what you wish to do believe
being social in a society that has made a weaknesswith your mind is unrestricted and what you wish to
of kindness and an insult of emotion. Such a greatdo with your body, so long as you harm none, is
change occurs between those who enter school andunlimited. Life matters to us because we make it
those who leave it.Just think of the sheer idiocy ofmatter; if we never told a lover we would miss them
compulsary education. We threaten these childrenupon our departure for a long voyage, if we never
with imprisonment if they do not appear in class.told a family member that we dream of a time when
Once in class, they spend their time either sleeping oroppression ended, if we never wrote a poem and
completing tasks that are completely irrelevant tohoped to give it to a friend whose face we haven't
them. By giving them no option in their schooling,seen in years -- if we never cared about life, then life
what have we taught them? The first lesson theywouldn't matter. What matters is what we make
learn is to detest learning, to hold unbridled sympathymatter. So in a few years, all the kids who graduate
for education. Take any man, put him in chains, andfrom high school will know that their grades never
force him to recite poetry, or force him to play anmattered, because even though so young, they
instrument, or force him to farm the land -- and oncealready know that it won't be the grades they got
he becomes a free man, do you think he will want tothat they think about upon their death bed.Twenty
engage in that activity that was forced upon him?years ago the textbooks used in history class just
The scars on a slaves hands from working the fields,began to cover some of the issues of the four
the memories of abuse of a house servant; givenhundred years of oppression of the African race in
the right to do as they wish in the world, is it likely tothis country.Children who are forced into a school and
think that they will return to that work which theyforced to complete erroneous assignments learn only
were forced to do? And then consider schools. Weone thing: to hate education. I clearly demonstrated
force children to sit and overfeed them erroneousthis truth earlier, but there is more to be learned
facts, faulty logic, damaged reasoning, concealedfrom it. Take a slave. It could be a slave from any
under the guise of "schooling." Once the mentalsociety, whether an African in colonial America or a
faculties of these children are damaged, their heartPlebeian in the Roman Empire. For the entirety of
grows an animosity towards learning, towards books,their life, they labor. Their sweat, their tears, their
towards facts and knowledge. It is the greatest follyblood, the biproducts of their toil seep into the
to make children hate learning, and the greatestground and their garments. All they produce goes to
danger to a real, living Democracy in anythe one who did not labor (and alas, our modern
nation.Because when the Red Sox win a baseballCapitalist system has managed to recreate these
game, five universities in the state of Massachussettsconditions). Inside every slave, there will be a growing
riot. But when the United States regime supports ahatred of their activity as a servant, a farmer, a
South American dictator known for slaughtering hismanufacturer -- they will learn to hate what has been
own people, it's a whisper lost in the wind.Ourforced upon them without their consent. But inside
ignorance is their power.Real knowledge is acquiredsome of them, there will be the kindling of hope for
by learning what interests you, through reading,a dream. One day, they will hope to produce for
investigation, practice, or any other desirable method.themselves, knowing that what their hands reap will
To become intelligent, you must engage in activitybe what fills their stomach, and not the stomach
with the idea that are you learning because you wantbelonging to idle hands. So, too, it is with our
to, because knowledge is a goal. The path tocompulsary education. The more we are forced into
conformity varies greatly from this. First, you engageschools and our minds filled with useless facts, the
in nothing, but allow cultural standards and socialstronger our thirst grows for real education, for real
obligations to control you. Second, the idea of learningknowledge. Few are like this, but we exist. Others
is to memorize random, perhaps unrelated and blatantsimply remain politically and emotionally sedated, as
facts -- true or untrue -- so that they may bethe focus of their mind is the next test or the next
recited upon command. Third, the goal is notprom, and not children enslaved in southeast asia or
knowledge, but a passing grade; they learn to for thethe meaning of life.To every student who must
sake of knowledge, but rather for the sake of socialendure the excuse of an education system that we
acceptance.Take two children. Give the first freedomhave, I can only offer these words of hope... Educate
and liberty, give him a wealth of books and movies,yourself, not with school teachers, but with the
give him teachers to aid him upon his request and abooks they wanted to ban. Teach yourself, learn,
place that encourages art, creativity, andgrow, and develop. Learn that the greatest asset
independence. Then take away the freedom andeducation can offer is that of independence."If the
liberty of the second, require his presence in ateacher happens to be a man of sense, it must be
classroom in front of a teacher, threaten him with aan unpleasant thing to him to be conscious, while he
jail sentence if he does not go to his school. Giveis lecturing his students, that he is either speaking or
each of them ten or fifteen years, and check thereading nonsense, or what is very little better than
development of each of them after this amount ofnonsense.[...]"The discipline of colleges and universities
time. The only forced to endure slavery may be ableis in general contrived, not for the benefit of the
to stand in a lecture hall and he might be able to saystudents, but for the interest, or more properly
to you, "George Washington was born in 1732 andspeaking, for the ease of the masters. Its object is,
died in 1799. In 1776, the Revolutionary War beganin all cases, to maintain the authority of the master,
where he acted as general. In 1783, it ended. In 1789,and whether he neglects or performs his duty, to
he was elected president a first time, and in 1792, heoblige the students in all cases to behave to him, as
was elected president a second time." You are givenif he performed it with the greatest diligence and
dates and events, surely, it is true history. But takeability. It seems to presume perfect wisdom and
the child who was given freedom to do as hevirtue in the one order, and the greatest weakness
pleased, and he might be able to stand in a lectureand folly in the other."-- Adam Smith
hall and tell you, "In the sixteenth century, in Europe,The Wealth of Nations, Book 5, Chapter I, Part 3,
a Spanish physician by the name of Michael ServetusArticle II.Life matters to us because we make it
was convicted of heresy by the Roman Catholicmatter. Be a rebel. Life,Punkerslut (or Andy Carloff)
Church. Fleeing from his oppressors, he made it tohas been writing essays and poetry on social issues
Geneva, where the vindictive John Calvin hadwhich have caught his attention for several years. His
absolute authority. In earlier years, Servetuswebsite provides a complete list of all of these
expressed his doubt on Calvin's protestant religion.writings. His life experience includes homelessness,
Once captured by the authorities, Servetus wassquating in New Orleans and LA, dropping out of high
burned to death at the orders of John Calvin in 1533.school, getting expelled from college for "subversive
They had him wear a hat of sulphur and usedactivities," and a myriad of other revolutionary
slow-burning wood, that the crowd could listen toactions.
screams for mercy for the duration of a half hour.