Portrait

i came across this quotation, if i may call it that at all…and its just one of those things that say something i’ve been wanting to say forever, in perfect articulation.

have we ever looked around us, or even at ourselves and thought ‘what kind of person does it take to change the world?’ or ‘can i change the world?’? i often have. i’ve often wondered what it takes, what you’ve got to give, and who you’ve got to be, to change the world in SOME way, it doesnt matter how.

through the ages, its apparent that besides harbouring many other essential qualities that one must possess, the one thing that has actually set the ‘world changers’ apart from everyone else is their larger-than-life way of being. they were EXTREMISTS in their own way and right. they all pushed, and fought and forged their way through on a difficult road, while being insanely sacrificing, reasonably courageous and always at RISK.

to me, its about being unafraid to be yourself. but its also about being unafraid of being someone that might not fit into stereotypical social norms. its about being so unafraid and unashamed of who you and what you want, that you’re willing to fight against all opposition.

admit it. they were all loons. they were all positively nuts. what more is there to say? people called them crazy and absurd and disillusioned, incapable of being in touch with reality. they were constantly hauled away to mental institutions, people constantly opposed their whacky ideas and impossible to achieve dreams. they were in a league all of their own. which is why many of them died young, or went mad, or committed suicide. they were something beyond our comprehension. they didnt fit here, they belonged in another dimension, maybe another time.

albert einstein, mozart, leonardo da vinci, adolf hitler, virginia woolf, william shakespeare, mahatma gandhi, rosa parks, martin luther king jr…the list goes on. the world saw them as ‘different’ because they WERE. they dared to be different. they dared to be extreme. they dared to go all out, and stop at nothing till they got what they set out go get. they dared to dream.

they willingly broke the boundaries of ‘normal’, caused controversy, turned the world upside down with their thoughts and actions, and ultimately changed the world. they were relentless, incessent, merciless, driven in reaching their goals. they pulled out the stops. they went ALL THE WAY.

regardless of how they changed the world ; for better or worse, the fact remains they DID.

it is because they were crazy. it is because they never gave up. or in.

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 praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward. Maybe they have to be crazy. How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?We make tools for these kinds of people. 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.
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