In one way or another, we are all revolutionaries. It is the certain degree that we act on our revolutionary that determines what becomes thought of as revolution, and who gets thought of as a revolutionary.
This notion operates on principles of human behavior. To begin a revolution one must start with the individual. It is certainly universal that we all want change to some aspect of society. We all think like this, and it manifests itself in conversation in the classroom, around the dining room table, and in the angry comments we write on Facebook. To be human is to imagine how human life could be optimized.
The second step to revolution than, is the spread of one person’s individual notion of change to others. The ideas that make for revolutions are the ones that are universal, that other people think as well. They can be sold by an individual or may be so pressing as to be recognized easily by a broad swath of humans. This spread can require lots of work or may be seamless. The more seamless it spreads, the easier revolution comes about.
The final step to revolution then is the action. This is where ideas of a revolution become a revolution. Where by a growing social consciousness a government is toppled, old ideas are replaced with new ones, and the world moves closer to change. It is worth noting that not all ideas that spread and reach this stage are good, but that also is a part of the revolution process, trying and failing with revolutionary ideas. The ones that do succeed are destined to become recognized as revolutions, the kind that get read about in history books.
That is what is in a revolutionary, the ability to complete this process of invention of ideas for change, organizing, and putting those ideas into action. It is this that makes a revolutionary and it only takes a few to cause such a revolution.