The real revolution? (ritual, moral, tradition, pagan, spiritual)

[Sunstone]

D.H. Lawrence somewhere says that youth should not be misled into believing that it must rebel against authority and tradition in order to achieve freedom. Lawrence asserts that those battles have already been fought and won. Youth is largely free to do as it pleases today, and so it is misleading youth to tell them that they should be battling against authority and tradition.

On the other hand, Lawerence points out that the real revolution youth must accomplish is "to find the undiscovered and unsuspected door." That is, to find and exploit the aspects of life that youth does not even as yet suspect are part of life. Doing so will bring about a greater revolution in youth than will battling against authority and tradition.

What do you think of this? Is the real job of youth to find the undiscovered and unsuspected door, or is it to battle against tradition and authority? Which brings greater freedom? Which is more revolutionary?

[Jayhawker Soule]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

..., Lawerence points out that the real revolution youth must accomplish is "to find the undiscovered and unsuspected door."

If we're lucky, many will find the door to the library.

[Ceridwen018]

Vive la resistance!

I think it's both. We need to do whatever we need to do to acheive whatever it is we've gotten in our minds to acheive. If that means rebellion or "opening doors", so be it. If not, oh well.

[Sunstone]

What is there left to rebel against? Lawrence doesn't think much of anything is left to rebel against, because former generations have already done the job of winning the freedoms necessary to discover oneself and one's boon in life.

But is Lawrence right about that? Are young people today free to pursue their boons in life, or are they still restricted by oppressive authority and traditions?

[Feathers in Hair]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

What is there left to rebel against?

Whaddya got? Wait, I just remembered I'm not cool enough to pull off that phrase.

Originally Posted by Sunstone

But is Lawrence right about that? Are young people today free to pursue their boons in life, or are they still restricted by oppressive authority and traditions?

I think there's a certain amount of feeling like one has to rebel at that age. The things I can think of that were taboo, like I believe Sunstone was saying, are no longer so, in most areas. I grew up knowing I could have friends who were of another race, other gender-preferences (err... Or the same gender preferences, since my friends tend to be gay guys) and, in some cases, other religions. I feel a great deal of gratitude to those who demonstrated for civil rights, and other such causes, so that I can grow up in a more tolerant world.

Perhaps the few of the few things left to rebel by doing is to to change ones religion, which is why some spiritual groups are flooded by people of a certain age. (Children of Satanists rebelling, and turning Hindu... that sort of thing.)

[Sunstone]

Back in the day, society tended to have laws against freedom. For instance, there were Jim Crow laws against civil rights for blacks. But nowadays, society tends to take a different tactic when it wishes to prohibit freedoms. Instead of passing laws against something, it propagandizes against the thing. We live in an age of media. And the shackles and chains that some in our society wish to forge against freedom are more likely to be made of media than of iron. Yet, propaganda is immensely effective in persuading people to do (or not do) something.

Look at the propaganda that's put out against human sexuality. We no longer pass too many laws against teen sexuality, but we still try to achieve the effect of those laws through propaganda directed at scaring teens into compliance with the moral views of certain elements of our society.

[linwood]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

Look at the propaganda that's put out against human sexuality. We no longer pass too many laws against teen sexuality, but we still try to achieve the effect of those laws through propaganda directed at scaring teens into compliance with the moral views of certain elements of our society.

And thats exactly what the youth of today need to fight against.

Unfounded bigotry and blind faith, it is what they will always have to fight against.

Sadly.

[Sunstone]

I agree, Linwood. And I also agree with Ceridwen that one does not just fight against something in order to fight against it. That is merely a negative goal. As she puts it, one fights for what one has got it in one's mind to achieve. And hers is an ultimately positive goal.

The sad thing is that youth has always, and will always, have to fight for what they've "got it in their minds to achieve."