I’m Rebellious

Summary

The author of the web content identifies as a nonconformist who questions authority and prefers to follow their own path rather than succumb to societal norms.

Abstract

The web content presents a personal essay by an individual who embraces a rebellious identity, characterized by a strong inclination to challenge authority and the status quo. The author describes their tendency to question rules rigorously and push boundaries without causing significant disruption. They share anecdotes about their teenage years, illustrating their argumentative nature and determination to challenge established norms. The author also reflects on a hypothetical scenario to emphasize their independence in decision-making and the importance of understanding the reasons behind others' actions before making a choice. While the author values self-awareness and personal growth, they also acknowledge the limitations of challenging authority and the fact that authority often prevails. The essay is a response to a prompt by Dianna C., which invites introspection and exploration of personal experiences related to authority and conformity.

Opinions

The author sees themselves as a rebel, preferring to dance to the beat of their own drums rather than conform to the status quo.
They respect rules to an extent but are compelled to question and understand them deeply before compliance.
The author's father believed they would become a lawyer due to their argumentative nature and determination to challenge established ideas.
In a hypothetical scenario involving peer pressure, the author emphasizes their independence by choosing not to follow the crowd, even considering their inability to swim.
The author values self-awareness and personal growth, which has led them to challenge both themselves and others more frequently.
They clarify that their rebelliousness operates within certain conditions and does not involve breaking the law or causing issues, but rather respectfully asking questions and making informed decisions.
The author appreciates the creative space provided by Dianna C. for personal storytelling, growth, and healing, and expresses gratitude for the community on Medium.

Dancing to the beat of my own drums.

Monday’s Prompt: What is your relationship with authority? How have you challenged the status quo?

Call me a rebel if you must because it is probably true. Or, is it that I prefer not to follow the status quo, but instead dance to the beat of my own drums? I think it is the latter.

Ever since I came into adulthood, I have always been the person to do things unconventionally. I have been called unique, difficult, stubborn, strong minded, “Miss Independent”, you name it. But why should I bend to the rules that were set by others who are in charge? Here’s the thing, I follow the rules because I am not an unruly person, but I will ask 50 million questions and will test the waters to see how far I could go without causing major issues.

My dad thought I would have become a lawyer because he noticed that as a teenager, when I started to discover myself, how argumentative I was and how determined I was to prove something to be incorrect when I did not agree. I won some of those battles, but ultimately lost the war because my parents had all the power. That is how life is, you can challenge authority to a point, but in most cases, authority will prevail because they have the power.

I was recently asked the following question:

Question: If you saw 1,500 hundred people standing on a bridge and 1,300 jumped off, would you jump or would you be among the 200 left on the bridge?

My response: I would be among the 200 people left standing on that bridge. If they decided to jump, then I would wanna know why and I would probably be the last person to jump, if I jump at all. Plus I can’t swim, so jumping off a damn bridge isn’t a good scenario for me either way, lol.

I would rather be the person standing alone than to just go with the status quo. If I choose the status quo, it means that I have exhausted all my options and have decided to comply. But I am human and of course this does not hold true in all scenarios.

What is your relationship with authority? How have you challenged the status quo?

I love to challenge and test the limits to see how far I can push the status quo. I have definitely lived most of my adult life in that way, and even more so now than ever before.

Becoming more self-aware and realizing how much I have been existing in this world versus living in it, has definitely triggered me to challenge myself as well as others. I am in no means breaking the law or causing any issues, but I do respectfully ask questions and make the best decisions for me. My rebelliousness comes with some conditions, but I prefer to dance to the beat of my own drums as much as I can. It is my own way of living my life fearlessly.

Disclaimer: I am not promoting or advising anybody to break the rules or to challenge authority.

This was written in response to 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘊.’s Monday prompt.

Thank you all for reading. And thank you 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘊. for creating the space so that we all can revisit stages in our lives, tell our stories, grow, and heal. KTHT has been a rollercoaster, one that I don’t mind riding.

I was away for a few days and I missed my Medium friends and family. Good to be back in a creative space. Sending love to you all.

I’m Rebellious

Dancing to the beat of my own drums.

Weekly Prompt: 22nd-26th (of March)

Instrospection & transition series