Lets look at 2 parallel situations
Situation 1
Once, there was a small-time thief who tried to rob someone with a knife. He just wanted the person to give up their wallet and valuables. Things went terribly wrong, and he accidentally stabbed the person in the stomach, and the person died. The thief never meant for this to happen; he only wanted to scare them.
Situation 2
Picture a doctor and a patient in an operating room. The patient was under anaesthesia, so they couldn't feel anything. The doctor was about to remove a tumor from the patient's stomach. However, as soon as the doctor started the surgery by making the first cut, the patient suddenly died. It was a really sad and confusing situation.
In both the above situations, the outcome is the same. A dead person. Now, those who believe in law of Karma, whom do you think will witness the bad effects of the cause? Of course the thief. Why?
We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far. - Swami Vivekananda
The great jurist, Oliver Wendell Holmes, once wrote that, “even a dog knows the difference between being kicked and being tripped over.” Even though the consequences may be the same, from the dog’s perspective, intent makes all the difference.
Now connecting back this to the earlier question, “Should you be a rebel?” - Of course. But the bigger question is, what is the intent? Is it to provoke? To understand? To challenge? To counter? To ridicule? To prove you are right?
A rebel against something means you know something that others may not know.
Imagine (hypothetically) electricity is not yet invented, but mobile communication exists. Imagine people have not studied geography and neither Galileo was born. In such a scenario, I call a friend staying the US. I don’t even know what America is, neither does he know about India. I speak to him on phone, “It’s all dark here, it’s a no-moon night”. He says, “What? The sun is shining bright in here. It’s day.” To this, I rebel and challenge. This argument is endless till both don’t understand their point of reference in space and time. Unfortunately, both are ignorant and hence not free.
But at least there is a hope for the rebel to be free, since rebellion gives an opportunity to ask questions. When these questions come from the right intent, you ought to be free.