INSANE DREAMERS The conventionalist, traditionalist, conformist never makes news or changes anything. He’s just like all the rest. Who cares about hearing about somebody that’s no different than anybody else and is right on man’s so-called norm? It’s the unconventional, non-traditional, non-conformist, radical, fanatical, iconoclast that usually makes the news. The people that stay put and never go anywhere and conform to what everybody else is doing, don’t even raise an eyebrow; they don’t wake you up or cause a stir. They always think and do whatever they’re supposed to, what society tells them they should. They wouldn’t be caught dead doing what just isn’t done, what nobody else is doing! The placid little pip squeak, Mr. Milquetoasts, string-for-a-backbone jellyfish, that just float around and drift with the tide, like everybody else, and never change anything, never do anything different, never buck the mainstream, never stand up for the truth or what is right, never get out of line, are never out of step with the vast, spineless majority, are therefore never even heard of.* They just drift along with everyone else in the flotsam and jetsam, the froth and the foam, the slime and the ooze of normalcy. They never make a sound, never make a dent in progress, never change a jot or a tittle, never make a mark, never make any impression, so the world doesn’t even know they exist! They sink down with the rest in the morass of anonymity—in the mire of Nowhere—and fade into oblivion, never making history!* But the so-called crazy nuts are the ones who make news! History is full of those who dared to challenge the system, dared to be different, dared to buck the tide, dared to shock their generation, dared to defy the science or challenge the mores of their day, dared to champion an unpopular cause, or did something beyond the call of duty. Those who made history were those who lived outside of the norm, the radical, seemingly heretical, revolutionary, misfits, discoverers, inventors, explorers, and the like. They are the insane dreamers who envisioned doing things that nobody else had ever done before, who thought and behaved differently than their predecessors. And most were thought to have a few screws loose or to be just a little off their rockers compared to the rest of the people. Be they heroic or fiendish, good or bad, diabolical criminals or angelic saints, all were certainly unusual and none of them indifferent! They lived in fame, and died in flame, but nothing and no one could stop them, because the others didn’t know how to handle it; they didn’t know where these pioneers were going, because nobody had ever gone there or done that before. The rest just weren’t prepared for it, so it took them quite a while to catch up with them. Of course, the majority usually managed to smother the flame by overwhelming it with the sheer number of their dead bodies. But they have never been able to put out of the memory of mankind that here were those who stood out from the rest, outstanding for their achievements! They dared to be different and did what everyone told them not to, or what others said couldn’t be done, because they thought it should be done and they could do it, no matter what anybody said. —And they did it, and the world heard about them! Beaten paths are for beaten men! Burning the candle at both ends may look crazy, but it sure gives a better light! You may not last long, you may wear out fast, but you’ll generate a lot of heat! And when this life is over and the angels beckon you, the world will remember you! If what you did was right, God will never forget it! You’ll shine as the stars forever, and you’ll hear Him say to you: “Well done, good and faithful servant, … enter into the joy of your Lord”—you and all the rest who dared to be “fools for Christ’s sake!” Mo
You argument appears to be as follows: 1: 'All great people' fall into the category of 'people who step out of line' C: 'people who step out of line' are all 'great people' But that is like saying 1: all 'cats' 'have tails' C: all things that 'have tails' are 'cats'. The conclusion is not forced by the premise. So you're saying we should step out of one line just to step into another? Sure 'God's line' sounds much more noble than 'man's line', but that is just on the face of it. P.S. I think the protest forum should be for specific protests not personal inner protests, I think this thread should be in the philosophy forum.
