History, no matter how many times it has been revised to suit the needs of the dominant cultures, is in large part constructed and reconstructed by visionaries of radical thought. Which in itself is quite paradoxical considering the negative stigma usually associated with the word “radical.”

The single-minded misconception of radicalism is easily misunderstood, especially when the public perception of radical thought is one relating only to its worst interpretations, such as militant aggression.

What is ironic is that political institutions like the United States Government pride themselves on the notion of order as a preferable option to radicalism, as if there has to be a choice between the two. What usually happens though is that the legal interpretation and enforcement of the word “order” ends up appearing quite similar to other words such as control, conformity, and stagnation.

My point of reason is that it is unnatural for the mind and body to try to exist in a state of inertia, yet if order for the sake of control is allowed to suppress individual creative thought, then the public is at risk of being relegated to little more than mechanical tools in the hands of their ruling institutions.

It is a necessity in human development that the intellectual mind think outside the conventional boxes even at the risk of alienating oneself. I whole heartily believe that humankind’s most profound achievements would never have even been attempted if not for radical ideas.

Such foresights as Galileo’s findings of some of Jupiter’s moons and what that says about the motions of the heavenly bodies, and the philosophical theories of Socrates (written by his students) in the face of public scorn are just a couple examples of how radical thought has helped enlighten (at least in part) the human race.

I believe it to be imperative that we become students not regulated simply to outside authority, but students which form conclusions based on personal observations and experiences. This allows for the freedom of expression that fuels the kind of radical thought that will be the basis of current and future profound changes necessary in human development.

If there are those individuals alive who must bear the stigma of being called a radical by the public, then it is likely those radicals will be tomorrow’s visionaries when the next stage of cognitive evolution takes place on this great planet.