The usefulness or uselessness of rebelling against everything.

"The modern man in revolt has become practically useless for all purposes of revolt. By rebelling against everything he has lost his right to rebel against anything.” - G.K. Chesterton

Rebelling.

I have something of a rebel in me.  We all do.  It's good and it's bad.  Let that be the given.

What is useful rebelling?

When you speak up for those who can't speak and are being victimized. 

When someone tramples on your own human rights.

When someone should be and could be doing better.

All of it implies some sort of standard, that we know what is right and wrong and what is better.


Then there is the rebelling against doing yourself what you know you ought to do, or do better.  This is not good rebelling or a not knowing a standard.

But are there any who don't have a standard written in their hearts?  The "natural law".  

We are so constituted that we adulterate it for our own benefit and justification.

Somewhere in our hearts we generally know that we are doing this -- and we rebel against this knowledge, the best we can.  Sometimes is is not easy to do. We end up talking it over with friends, who confirm us in our wrong understanding.  

Or we end up talking with friends who tell us the truth.

-- What about this picture:  what about rebelling for the sake of rebelling?  And what did Chesterton mean?

I know about Chesterton.  There were Communists, Eugenists, Fabian Society...  everyone trying to break down the fabric of existing society, of marriage as the bedrock, or the church as a meaningful, living community with standards of faith and practice.

We see, now, where their rebellions have led.

We can't get around the standards.
There is only useful rebellion with standards, with law, with a law to keep.

And there is only a useless rebellion with our not caring to keep this law. 

(The Law:  Friend or Enemy?)


Here is some useful protesting.  Indians living in England are protesting the fact that even in Great Britain the caste system persists and discrimination based on being "untouchables" pursues them, in a society which is basically more fair and just than Hindu society. 

I am glad someone is saying something about that.  The fact that millions of people are subjugated based simply on the caste system, is something we are too silent about. 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/british-indians-seek-legal-protection-from-caste-system-1.2224275