Rebels With A Cause: A Road to Nowhere?

Pic of author by Coffee And A Map

I was looking back on my life

And all the things I've done to me

I'm still looking for the answers

I'm still searching for the key

Road to Nowhere, by Ozzy Osbourne

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The world of rock 'n roll music lost a true icon recently in Ozzy Osbourne. Ozzy was stigmatized and criticized by many people throughout his career, but he was there every step of the way for an entire generation. He was the first singer/songwriter - at least in the eyes of this writer - who gave a voice to the disenfranchised;

The ones who felt like they didn't belong anywhere;

The rebels.

On July 22, 2025, Ozzy Osbourne passed away. Many grown men have shed tears and even cried over his loss in the time since that day. The outpouring of admiration, respect, and love that has been on display for the life that this man led, and the legacy that he left, says it all.

The man was not perfect by any means. But I dare say, he helped more people get through their own personal hard times than any of us have.

This article is not about Ozzy, the man. This article is about the spirit I believe he lived with. It's a spirit that lives within many of us, even though the outside world only sees us as strange or different. It's the true rebel spirit.

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We love rebels in the movies and in pop culture, don't we? 

Do you think it's because we know that they are the ones who will shake things up and change things?

Do you think it's because we know that they are the ones who are going to make a difference?

But in real life we don't always think that way.

In real life a rebel is often seen only as someone who is disobedient and defiant to authority. An insubordinate. A troublemaker.

It may appear to others like they think they're special, or they're obnoxious, or that rules just don't apply to them.

But there is a type of rebel who is not defiant just for the sake of being defiant, nor are they disobedient just because they don't like the rules. They aren't rebelling against a particular organization or establishment. They aren't trying to fit in where they don't belong. And they don't intend to be malicious or cause harm.

This type of rebel observes and listens and considers everything, and then tries to find a different way. They do it on their own, without seeking consent, because they know they won't get it.

They aren't this way for the sole purpose of being different, or difficult, or drawing attention to themselves, even though they might appear to be a bit pompous. They are genuinely just curious and exploratory.

They also don't mind being perceived as a fool sometimes because if you are concerned with being perceived as a fool, you won't do anything unusual, out of the box, or different. Allowing yourself to look foolish is to let go of the restrictions and the limitations that inhibit change and growth. Their swagger comes from self confidence.

Their rebellion is against thinking the same thoughts continuously, and doing the same things over and over.

It's a rebellion against always doing things the easiest way possible.

It's a rebellion against the standard concepts of how things are and how they should be done.

It's a rebellion against asking the same questions and getting the same tired answers.

It's also a rebellion against fear and anxiety. How? Because this kind of rebel is always challenging everything they think they know and understand - the very things that cause fear and anxiety in others.

Sometimes they begin to seem rebellious starting at an earlier age, when what is really happening is that they are seeing that things aren't adding up and things aren't fitting together as they were told. They recognize that something is wrong. They are putting the pieces together and those pieces aren't making sense. They just don't know what to do with those pieces because they don't have the words for it or the understanding of it. Their rebellion is an outward reaction to an inner action.

A rebel is someone who resists cultural or societal restrictions.

They question the standard concepts and beliefs of how things are and how they should be done.

They may have an insatiable curiosity which can lead them to discover deeper truthfulness, regardless of what they've been told.

A rebellious person is intimately familiar with vulnerability because they are, by nature, vulnerable. See, you can't be rebellious without also being vulnerable because when you are being rebellious you are putting yourself out there and inviting judgement and criticism and opening yourself up to all kinds of scrutiny. You are going to make mistakes and you are going to be misunderstood.

But this type of rebel has little to no interest in the status quo. Their rebellion is against that very status quo - against accepted standards and living on autopilot.

They do things differently and, as a result, they see things differently. They are the ones who do the unexpected and the irregular. They are the ones who have broken free of "conventional" knowledge, exposed the old rules, and even rewritten them.

People may think that this type of rebel is just being defiant and is in opposition to them. Truth is, this type of rebel is in opposition to themselves, as well. They don't take the narrative of the day as fact. They are constantly testing and experimenting with everything, as they seek different possibilities and different answers. 

Yes, they are non conforming. But they are non conforming to everything, including their own beliefs. They know about dogma and they have seen the effects.

This type of rebel is driven by curiosity. This rebel is always experimenting with and testing limits and boundaries. As a result, they will occasionally exceed those limits and cross those boundaries. This can make it appear as if they are careless, reckless, impulsive, or like they just don't care.

That would be our misinterpretation and our mistake.

It is that very curiosity and willingness to explore or to challenge boundaries that puts this rebel in a position to do something, or to discover something, that no one else has considered, or that everyone else thought was impossible.

To this rebel nothing and no one, including themselves, is beyond scrutiny - beyond examination and reinterpretation.

So don't take it personally.

To this type of rebel the enemy is themselves.

And their weapon is their own mind.

Sometimes it's the people who others can't imagine doing anything, that do what others can't imagine.

The rebels with a cause are often viewed as outsiders. They may be misunderstood, but they are the ones who never stop looking for answers. They are putting the pieces back together in new and different ways. They are the ones who change things. This is what can make them revolutionary.

The road that we think leads to nowhere -

Leads us right back to ourselves.

Join the rebellion!

Photo - Coffee And A Map