Think For Yourself, Follow Your Dreams, Piss Off Some Zombies

First, there’s a bit about this website. Skip down for info about your host.

About Disrupting the Rabblement

My aim with this site to get people thinking for themselves and following their dreams, rather than going with the flow and settling for the status quo.

The word rabblement is obsolete now. Rabble means the same thing, I just prefer the sound of the longer version. It comes from the title of an essay by James Joyce. In 1901 he wrote The Day of the Rabblement, in which he criticized the Irish Literary Theatre for abandoning the true and the good and surrendering to the popular will. The theatre started out claiming to be “the champion of progress, and proclaimed war against commercialism and vulgarity.” But gradually they abandoned high art and settled for lowbrow crowd-pleasers. That was the safe and secure route, one less likely to draw criticism. Joyce wished for a more progressive mindset.

The rabblement is alive and well today. Not just in Ireland, but the world over. The rabblement is the status quo, the so-called normal, the safe and secure, the default lifestyle, the settling for mediocrity.

I don’t like it one bit. I want to disrupt it.

Signs of the Rabblement

It’s fairly easy to know if someone has become the property of the rabblement. There are many telltale signs. Examples:

Watching TV regularly
Eating lots of processed food
Not reading actual books
Working an unfulfilling job
Buying lots of useless crap
Not exercising regularly
Obsessing about celebrities
Lack of focus
Not offending anybody

People of the rabblement get up every morning and rush through a highly-processed fake-food breakfast, commute to work, spend eight hours half-assing a job they’d rather not do, attend pointless meetings, get interrupted every 20 minutes (by colleagues/e-mail/Facebook/text message), go home, eat a microwave dinner or some takeaway as the news tells them what’s wrong with the world, watch some crappy TV shows that don’t require actual thought processing, then go to bed. They look forward to Friday so they can find temporary refuge in alcohol or consumerism, spending all that money they earn to justify working all week. The lucky ones have a partner to share their unfulfilling life with, so at least they get some occasional sex and don’t feel as lonely as the rest.

I’m not exaggerating with the above description. Many people live like that. Many more live some variation, going through thoughtless motions, forever unconscious.

And it’s easy to see why. We’re bombarded by advertising all the time. We’re told we won’t be happy unless we buy more stuff. We’re told that our passions won’t make us any money, that eventually we have to grow up and get a real job. We’re told that Guinness is good for you and that food should come wrapped in plastic. We’re told not to take risks, not to stand out, not to make a scene, not to be remarkable. Keep your head down and don’t piss off the boss. Failure is bad, don’t even try. We’re told to dress like this and think like that. Date that person your parents like, drive that car your friends covet, buy the biggest house you can afford.

Like I said, I don’t like it one bit.

Disrupting the Rabblement is for all those people who have been doing what was expected of them and following all the rules, only to find that type of life extremely unfulfilling. It’s also for people who have already broken free and are aiming to make a positive difference in the world. It’s for anybody who wants to think for themselves, follow their dreams and help others do the same.

It’s not for everybody. Some people don’t want to wake up and take control of their lives, too much responsibility. No worries. There are plenty of other websites out there for them.

Join the rabble-rousing

Like the sound of the above? Drop your email address below to stay up to date with twice weekly blog posts. You’ll also get exclusive access to my monthly finance and traffic reports, plus a free 44-page manifesto (pictured above) which dives deeper into the DtR concept.

About Niall Doherty

The first thing you should know is that I’m not an expert on anything. I don’t have all the answers. I’m often mistaken. I was born and raised near Waterford City in Ireland. I was extremely shy all the way into adulthood, but I was able to overcome that by taking a leap. In 2007, after a lot of effort, I landed an American work visa and went to live in New Orleans for three years. I picked that city because my favorite basketball team played there. I wanted nothing more than to watch and write about them, and I was able to live that dream. Then I moved on from sports and became interested in personal development. I experimented with a vegetarian diet and ended up vegan. I joined Toastmasters and won a contest. I started this website. I realized that good enough wasn’t good enough so I quit my 9-to-5 job, left New Orleans and moved back to Ireland in December of 2010. On the last day of September, 2011, I embarked on a round the world trip without flying, heading East from Ireland. I expect it will be 4 years or so before I return via the West. I’m sharing my journey on this blog in the hope that I can help and inspire others to live their dreams.

Contact me

If you abhor the rabblement like I do, please do get in touch via this contact page. You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter.

Free Manifesto

The Disrupting The Rabblement Manifesto: how to think for yourself, live your dreams, and piss off some zombies. It's 44 pages of freedom, all yours when you subscribe below.

I have to say that I LOVED your manifesto. It is absolutely fascinating. - Danielle M
Your manifesto is kick-ass! - Lana P

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Hi, I’m Niall Doherty

I quit my 9-to-5 job in November of 2010 and have since become a self-employed vagabond, pursuing my passions and helping other people escape mediocrity while I travel around the world without
flying.

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