Without human nature’s instinctive drive to defy the manners in which we are expected and sometimes threatened to behave and follow, humanity would very well be in no better situation than where it stood hundreds of years ago. The fuel of disobedience against moral misbeliefs is what continuously ignites change in society. The presence of defiance is not only required in order to promote reform but it also necessary to implement change in the minds of those who see the problems of the world through a filtered lens.

Insubordinate behavior is what tips societal adaptation from the brink of change to advancement for humanity. The subtle, yet powerful bravado of Rosa Parks as she refused to give her seat up to unjust segregation laws in America was one of the first steps to civil rights equality for American citizens of every race. Had she never said “No” then the United States would not have undergone the changes that it did undergo, either not until years later or potentially ever. Parks’ confrontation of the law is what inspired and empowered an army of freedom riders. Through their defiance, there was the beginning of the motion that was set to alter U.S. history forever.

Without the brave souls who are willing to defy and stand up for what they believe in, there would be no progression. We live in an era where we are not heard nor noticed unless we create waves rather than ripples. There is no method of revealing the wrongs in the world than to expose them. If Americans had never gathered the courage to fight back through countless labor reforms and strikes, there would still be a working class in grave danger and fear of their lives every day that they strive to provide for their families. Unions such as the Knights of Labor and American Federation of Labor were the foundation for work laws and rules regarding the health of workers. If there had never been a generation of voices to speak for those who were voiceless, despite conflict and resistance from the country, the advancement of human rights would have been deeply stunted.

The iconic poem by teacher Abel Meeropol, “Strange Fruit” was written as an act of defying what was considered socially acceptable in the 1930s. The poem was an example of civil disobedience that showed the public an alternate side of the horrific lynchings of African Americans. Meeropol’s writing mirrored the same chilling effect that Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin had in terms of the response that it evoked. Both pieces were written to reform administrative injustice and they caused an increase in the social and political uprising on issues of racism and slavery in the United States. The defiance of media is what has initiated numerous pushes for equality throughout the nation’s world history.

Rebelling against the hierarchies and standing up for what we believe is unjust and immoral has promoted the success and innovation in the world. The progression of the world is thick in a generation of brilliant young minds overflowing with the plans, motivation, and ability to shape the future. It is because of the brave men and women who are able to revolt against the wrongdoings of the world, that these ideas are able to thrive and flourish rather than be dragged to the graves with their devisers. Civil disobedience is not only man’s original virtue, but it is also the foundation of an unprecedented, thought-provoking and justice filled way of life that many have been fighting towards for years.