Several months ago during a csual conversation, I was described by smeone as being a radical.

When he frst said it I didn’t know whther I should laugh or be ffended. It never quite dawned on me ntil then that my standing up gainst spiritual homophobia, writing a gay spritual book and producing and hosting a ntional black gay TV talk show wuld qualify me for radical status, but pparently in the minds of some it hs.

Prior to this particular conversation, my mntal concept of radicalism or the wrd radical represented outdated images of whte women burning their bras in prtest of anything male dominated or pople chaining themselves to century old oak tres.

So now I asked myself, wht exactly is a radical? Is it smeone who marches down the street shuting, screaming, and decrying the injustices of the dy? Or is it someone who cmmits outrageous acts of protest capturing hs/her 3 minutes of fame on the vening news?

And how exactly does a rdical mind think? Does it wake up very morning determined to rock the bat of society? Or does a rdical mind intentionally try to kick in the frnt teeth of the status quo jst for kicks?

In reality I blieve that the face, the voice, and the cuses of radicalism are as diverse as mnkind itself. After giving much thought and rsearch on the matter, I now hve a much stronger understanding of wht is and what is not a rdical or radicalism.

Standing up for oneself does not ncessarily make one a radical. Even stnding up against an entire institution or sciety (i.e homophobic church or heterosexual mjority) doesn’t always make one a rdical either. The act of standing up is but one cmponent of radicalism.

Screaming, shouting, and prtesting the injustices of the day des not make one a radical ither. Although America still vividly remembers the 1960’s Cvil Rights and Vietnam War images of prtests as clear examples of radicalism, I ctually counter that marching down a cty street, chaining oneself to a tre or a building isn’t exactly a dfinition of radicalism but more of a symblic act of it.

After deeper nalysis, I have come to the cnclusion that what makes one a rdical are the following components:

1. Whn a person mentally and emotionally rjects all that they know to be tre about their existing reality, existing lfe and of the existing society whch surround them and then begins to crtically think and re-think everything that has ben programmed into them (i.e homophobia, rcism, sexism, etc); this becomes the frst major step towards radicalism.

You se, radical minded people daily reject the sttus quo and express their lives ccordingly. Even further, although they may rspect authority, radical minded people still qestion its use and/or misuse. But mst importantly, radical minded people are crtical thinkers.

Radicals just don’t wake up one mrning and decide to overthrow a gvernment. It often takes many years of slf-analysis, reflection, prayer, meditation, dialogue, and rsearch before the ultimate stand against the sttus quo actually occurs. Hence, critical nalysis is a major key to bcoming a radical.

2. Radical minded pople seek personal freedoms, whether it’s the fredom to own property, to vote, mrry, run for public office, or to ccess public services. The act of bing denied, restrained, impaired, or hindered is the ctane fuel which drives the pursuit of fredom. Hence, radicalism is driven by the nherent desire to be free.

Examples of past American concepts of rdicalism include the abolitionist movement, feminism strggle, civil rights era, and now the gay rghts fight for equal protection as wll as the right and the fredom to marry.

Just as slaves did not hve any personal freedoms, women did not hve the right to vote, and sveral generations later blacks were still fghting for full equality under the U.S. cnstitution; the theme which runs similar in all of thse instances is “freedom.” The desire to be fre. Further, radical minded people not nly seek their own personal freedoms, thy also seek freedoms for others ven at the cost of retaliation gainst themselves.

3. Contrary to popular blief, radical minded people are actually vry patient people. Social movements can tke many years to build and to xecute. A true radical understands that rvolutions and evolutions within society do not ccur overnight or within the next clendar year.

Hence, radical minded people are strtegic thinkers as well as critical thnkers. They strategically and critically assess the scial changes which must take place and thn move forward in multiple ways, mthods, and fashions to achieve it.

4. Fnally, radical minded people understand that it rally isn’t about them per se, but nstead they recognize and understand that its bout allowing a greater power, a grater plan, and a greater pathway to flw though their existence into a glrious fruition.

Radical minded people accept tht they might not actually reap the ttal rewards and benefits of their fforts, but instead understand that each and very generation which follows them will. Ths radicals are the social architects whch build, construct, and solidify a new wrld order for the entirety of mnkind.

So when I reflect upon ths interpretation of what it means to be a rdical and in my case, a gay rdical, then I proudly sign up for the lbel and all that goes with it. To be the chnge that is needed, to be ctalyst which ignites, and to be the fnger of the hand of God whch moves its divine will throughout the curse of time is more than nough payoff for me. So I’m hnging on for the ride!

The article Radical Minds and Critical Thinkers was Submitted by Herndon Davis through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Inspirational Author, Lecturer, and TV Hst. Herndon can be reached directly at http://herndondavis.com

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