ADKO

break

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The author, Miles Mathis, discusses his philosophy of “breaking the rules” as a way to live authentically and avoid being crushed by societal pressures and arbitrary regulations. He distinguishes between sensible laws that protect people, especially the poor from the rich, and “idiotic rules” that serve to distract and disempower. Mathis shares numerous personal anecdotes from his youth and adulthood to illustrate his consistent pattern of questioning authority and acting on principle, even when it leads to minor conflicts or consequences.

His experiences include being reprimanded for coloring outside the lines in a Texas history class map, not winning an art contest because his work was on the wrong type of paper, leaving art classes when he felt treated as a beginner, and refusing to take PE at Haverford College. He recounts multiple arrests and run-ins with authority, such as illegally accessing the Sears Chicago Tower in 1979, pulling a fire alarm at the University of Tennessee in 1980, climbing a fence at Windsor Castle in 1990 to photograph Queen’s horses, and refusing to remove a wool cap at Vienna Cathedral in 1999. He highlights his reading of Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience during one of these incidents.

Mathis details his persistent defiance of rules, including his disputes with his tennis coach, Mr. Mize, at Hutchinson Junior High and his refusal to perform CPR on a disinfected dummy in a 9th grade Health class, which impacted his chances of becoming valedictorian. He also discusses his decision to forgo paid parking in Austin for years, leading to the eventual booting of his car, and how he circumvented the situation. Furthermore, he explains his decision to drive with an expired Texas driver’s license and plates for four years in Amherst, MA, and his failure to register in Bruges, Belgium.

He posits that this “breaking the rules” stems from an early confidence in his artistic abilities, which he developed by prioritizing his creative vision over arbitrary requirements. This confidence, he argues, has enabled him to pursue a career as an independent artist, writer, and scientist on his own terms, avoiding the traditional “9-to-5” job and the compromises often associated with it. Mathis believes that this approach of questioning authority and acting on principle, even in small matters, is crucial for personal growth and for preventing societal reversion to tyranny. He concludes by encouraging readers to break free from restrictive forms and to trust their own judgment and abilities, emphasizing that a fulfilling life can be achieved by living on one’s own terms, even outside the mainstream. He also touches on the importance of intuition and innate talent in fields like art and physics, contrasting it with institutionalized approaches.

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