We came to the conclusion that it's not about changing the world, defeating evil for once and for all. It's about keeping the fires burning.
In a sense, we can see the rebel, and the rebellious movement, as being opposed to the world/system only in as far as a vaccine is opposed to a body - merely introducing another perspective/ideology to be subsumed.
We can reckon with the death of the rebel, or we can reckon with the perennial function of the rebel to make the system stronger. Both of those frame it in an unfavorable light, but that is by no means the only light to see them in, no?
How can we learn to adapt and "shed" these notions, without it feeling like succumbing to some bleak beast? I think it's possible. Maybe it involves tapping into some kind of collective mind, the swarm entity that actually benefits from the passions and trials of certain rebel figures. That is, instead of identifying as the vaccine, the purpose of which is to dissipate and make the body stronger. From this swarm/body perspective, not only is the dismal reckoning sidestepped, but the rebel's nobility is actually preserved.