When I left home for college, my mother gave me three important rules she prayed I’d never break: 1. Stay alive 2. Stay out of jail 3. Don’t get pregnant. With just enough common sense and more grace from God than I deserved, I managed to keep all of these promises I not-so-confidently made years ago.
I’ve never been too fond of rules. Most of them just never made much sense to me. Maybe this is because I attended a staunch private school from Pre-K through high school graduation, but I guarantee most of my family members would tell you I was born a wild child who needed to “channel her determination” (exact words from my kindergarten teacher).
Of course, I believe we must abide by rules such as “Honor your father and mother” or “Look both ways before you cross the street” or “Don’t yell anything off-color in an airport.” These rules are there for the protection of our livelihood. These rules I’ve never tested. Well, except maybe the first one a time or two, but I learned that lesson quickly at the expense of my backside.
But what about the rules like “Don’t wear white after Labor Day" or “Little boys should play football and little girls should dance” or “Four letter words no longer mean what they used to and you may as well be a Sailor if you speak such.” Who made these rules up anyway?
Some of the most important rules we know even have loopholes in the fine print. Remember the whole, “I before E except after C” tip you learned in first grade phonics?
As mortal beings, we have a natural desire to “do” when we are told “don’t.” Some people bust through glass ceilings and others jump over fences adorned with “No Trespassing” signs. Throughout my life, I’ve learned how to do both successfully with only a few minor scratches. But I rubbed some dirt in the wounds and was made stronger for them.
If it weren’t for rule breakers like Rosa Parks, we might still have segregation on public transit. If it weren’t for rule breakers like Thomas Edison, we’d all be living in the dark. And if it weren’t for people like me, Bethesda Christian School would not have school uniforms now. You are welcome.
The Dalai Lama even said, “Know the rules well so you can break them effectively.” Some of us just can’t cram our glittery star-shaped self into the confined square holes that society has selfishly created for us. What an absurdity that is to even ask of someone!
Embrace your ridiculous awesomeness and shine recklessly as the superstar you were meant to be. Because after all, no one really knows what the hell they’re doing -and don’t let them convince you otherwise.
So kids, don’t lie, cheat or steal. Obey your parents and adhere to the law. But take the road less traveled more often than the congested freeway. Because what they don’t tell you is that most of those freeways cost a toll. Laugh loudly in a library because books were written to bring out emotion. Wear those white pants in December. Raise eyebrows. Make them whisper. And do it with such graceful confidence that the status quo will cease to exist.
Always remember that you could be the ripest, juiciest peach on the tree and there is still going to be someone who hates peaches.
“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” ― Rob Siltanen
