Revolutionaries and Cash Flow

Why is it that men who will scream freedom when no freedom exist are so few? Why is it that the crazies who think they can change a world so much bigger than them so popular? I look at men like Neal Boortz and Ron Paul and even Ralph Nader these guys truly act as if they are capable of saving the world.  They act as though they actually believe that they can impact something so much larger and more power than them that it is utterly unfathomable.  I say that... I think that... but then it hits me... I am no different than they are. What separates me from men like this is only time.  I truly believe that I can change things.  I see this world not as it is but as it should be.  I am a visionary and I see how fouled up things are but instead of being depressed I open my eyes wider and I see the potential.  When an antique hunter finds a rare treasure or when a chef finds that perfect fish it isn't a matter of the present but of potential.  I find that I am no different.  I see the potential and I know that I can bring that potential to life if only I get the opportunity.   These guys, these revolutionaries for all of their flaws are precisely what I will be in due time.  These are people who where naive kids just like I am now but they have survived. So often when we are in college it is easy to shout freedom and chant for peace or whatever it is we believe in but as time passes our wills are sapped and our principles dulled.  These men, these revolutionaries, they are no different than I or any of the other visionaries except these guys have not been dulled but refined.  I ask myself why there are so few influential people willing to stand on principle and I see that it is because the task is so difficult. It is so tough to stand alone even if you are the only one who is in the right... sometimes it’s just simpler to be wrong.   What is most interesting to me is the money that these guys must make for their effort.  I know it sounds hollow for me to mention it but when I consider the number of true visionaries it is those with the courage to stand alone that often garner a huge following.  I wonder how I will survive in these various arenas if I am going to stand up to the status queue and stand on principle and truly try to change the engrained errors and inefficiencies but today it hit me.  I dawned on me.  In today’s culture it is possible to be the lone voice of sanity.  Between book sales and website hits you actually can survive as a revolutionary.  The more I look into it and the more I research it the more I realize that my dreams of changing the world while broad may be far more plausible than everyone who knows me thinks.  It might even be more plausible than I believe. It seems as though when someone is willing to take that size risk to be the only one who is right the very act breeds courage in those around them and garners a following that makes it possible to actually make a difference.  Maybe I won't change the world but I'm beginning to see that thinking that way may not be a bad thing.  The very courage to try may be enough to do significant good.  I sure hope it is

I read a quote by Samuel Adams that sums up my thoughts on the matter...
“It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds”