Learning to rebel against yourself.

When I was young, Tupac felt like the deepest philosopher alive. He shaped the way I saw injustice and what we owe each other. Back then, I honestly believed the purpose of government was simple: help the people who can’t help themselves.

Universal healthcare? Seemed like a no-brainer.
Housing the homeless? I still think that one works—there’s proof behind it.
Welfare, food stamps—my younger self saw all of these as obvious solutions.

But growing up means running your beliefs through the fire.
It means asking: What was this program actually designed to do? How long has it been around? What have the results been?

If something is counterproductive, then repeal it. Maybe replace it. Maybe don’t. Over the years I’ve learned that people helping people is usually more efficient than the government taxing people to help people. Good intentions don’t excuse bad outcomes.

And that brings me back to Tupac.
I’m not claiming Pac would be a Republican today, but I doubt he’d be blindly cheerleading Democrats the way so many celebrities did last cycle. Clinton was in power when he was murdered. Anti-establishment wasn’t a brand for Pac—it was his DNA.

If anything, I see him closer to Ice Cube’s approach: don’t just expect support—earn it.

Because a lot of what Malcolm X warned about still applies. The paternalism. The “we know what’s best for you” tone. The way certain politicians talk to Black people like they own the vote. We just saw a perfect example not long ago:

“If you don’t know if you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t Black.”

That’s exactly the kind of condescending nonsense Malcolm X was calling out half a century ago—treating an entire community like a political property line.

But the point of all this isn’t to stump for one side or the other.
The point is growth.

If my worldview stayed frozen where it was when Tupac was my whole philosophical foundation, then I didn’t evolve—I just aged. Growth means questioning what you used to accept without thinking. Growth means letting your ideas mature as you do.

Pac embodied evolution. He wrestled with contradictions. He changed as he learned.
I’m trying to do the same.

I’ve shifted a lot over the years. I already mentioned how my views on social welfare evolved once I started looking past the intentions and into the outcomes. And truthfully, I used to lean toward anarchism too—hard to square that with wanting massive government programs. But that’s what cognitive dissonance looks like when you’re young and repeating what sounds good without really examining it. A lot of my early beliefs were handed to me, not earned through scrutiny.

So here’s my question—the one I’ll end on:

What views have you actually changed as you’ve grown?
And which beliefs did you once hold just because they were handed to you—not because you ever really thought them through?

Mic G