Man exists in deep slumber. Man is hypnotized. That’s why you go on living the way you live – in misery, in unhappiness, in agony. The same energy can become ecstasy – release it! Be yourself and forget what others have been trying to make of you. Declare your freedom! And be rebellious. I am not saying go and fight with society, because that is foolish – you will be again wasting your energy.

And this is the difference that I make between a rebellious person and a revolutionary: the revolutionary is a reactionary – he reacts against the society, he starts fighting the society. First he was miserable because he was burdened by the society, now he becomes miserable because he has to fight the society. First he was following the society, now he fights the society – but he remains obsessed with the society. A revolutionary is not a really rebellious person.

Who is a rebellious person? A rebellious person is one who has understood the whole nonsense of the society, and simply slips out of it. He does not fight with it; on the surface he even continues to pretend that he belongs with you. He is a clever person – Gurdjieff used to call him “the sly person.” He is clever enough – he is neither orthodox nor revolutionary, he is just rebellious. But his rebellion is so intelligent that he knows there is no point – if the society says “Walk on the left” he walks on the left, because there is no point in fighting in this – it is meaningless.

On the surface he goes on following the society; deep down he has slipped out of it, deep down he starts living his own life. He does not go into the marketplace to exhibit, because if you exhibit your happiness in the marketplace they are going to kill you; they will crucify you. They did the same to Jesus, they did the same to Socrates, to Mansoor – they are not going to leave you alone.

There is no need. When you are sitting with miserable people, keep a miserable face – even more miserable than they have – because it is just a game you are playing: you are not miserable, you can act it better then them – they are really miserable. Keep a longer face than them. When alone, have a good laugh. Don’t start fighting with the society otherwise you will be in trouble, and happiness will again be far away – as far away as before. First you were following the society and could not be happy. Now you fight the society, so the society throws you in a jail or in chains, or the society tries to crush you – and again you are unhappy.

A rebellious person is a very very clever person. He slips out in such silent ways that he does not create any ripple on the surface… and he starts living his private life in his own way. That’s what I teach you: I don’t teach you to be revolutionaries, I teach you to be rebellious. A religious person is a rebellious person.

Eve rolls her eyes.

God, Adam, the serpent ---

They all tell her what to do.

Perfectly capable of making her own decisions,

Eve noisily and deliberately bites into the forbidden fruit.

I am forever being labelled as rebellious and always have been. And frankly it is a little demeaning at this stage in life. I am 32. And my Mum just called me it on the phone. I recently was wondering why she took me to the psychiatrist. And eventually she got back to me and replied in a short phone call, saying she wanted to get me to see someone outside of home about it. About me always going up against figures of authority at school and such. I am quite proud and wear it as a badge of honour, this rebelliousness. But the reason that I am somewhat against it, is that it implies a power dynamic. A hiearchical lineage of wisdom, knowledge, merit. And that places me somewhere at the bottom, looking up at whatever I'm supposedly rebelling against. Me, the UNknowing, less experienced person (almost child like) up against the better knowing individuals; adults as it were. It's like going through teenage years all over again. But here's the thing. In calling me rebellious, like I said, they are claiming that dominating stance at the top of the mountain. Unmoving in their position. All I'm doing is fighting for my personal beliefs, my own opinion. I heard the other side but I still choose to uphold my own. It is not because you are older, more experienced than I am that this makes your opinion of more value or the one to be kept over my own. All I'm doing is insisting on sticking to my own ideals, and my own freedoms. For my own pride. I have considered your points, despite what you might think. Do not throw me aside as some one who is merely opinionated and dismissive. I have thought of your perspective and despite that I have chosen to stay by my own.