C10: Rebellion

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Generation X

In 1990, Douglas Coupland
wrote a book entitled
Generation X. It was about
three strangers who decided
to pull back from society and work at dreary job at
the bottom of the food chain. The book was hailed as
a most accurate description of today's youth. Certain key features are highlighted as typical: no sense of direction, boredom, and apathy towards the system and towards any sense of idealism. 'So what' and 'who cares?' are the key terms of today's Generation X, who wonder about being 'Dazed and Confused', to quote another film celebrating Generation X.

Do you think that there really is a Generation X? Are you part of it? Are we so different from the young people in other generations?

Imagine by John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries,
It isn't hard to do.
Nothing to kill and die for
And no religion too.
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for reed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine

OK, so we got a little carried away in the opening section. But what does it mean to say that Judaism is a religion of rebellion? What is a rebel? The French writer Albert Camus defines a rebel as: "a man who says no!" Apart from ensuring that the rebel is not suited to get a job at the TSB, what does this definition tell us about rebellion? There are some people who like to say 'no' to everything. You probably have encountered someone like this when you are conducting your sessions in school and are fully aware how annoying such a person can be. However, just saying no for absolutely no reason whatsoever, a rebel without a cause, is not the only type of rebel. True rebellion has three stages: dreaming, surveying and acting. Let's consider each in turn.

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