Posted by
Virginia Daddy on Monday, July 13, 2009 12:54:35 PM
I was sitting in church yesterday listening to a sermon about Christmas in July. A fine sermon, no doubt, but it hit me during the session that what conservatives need to do more of is respect others rather than tell them what to do. This observation can hardly be considered novel, though. This debate has permeated within the ranks of conservatism before. The debate is whether or not conservatives, who hold certain things to be true and celebrate certain moral behaviors over the more destructive "free" ones, should demand of others that they follow the moral behaviors so they will be protected from the harms such as eternal damnation, disease, the shame of financial and personal ruin from drug use, unwanted pregnancies, etc.
All of those goals are good and noble, and we should seek to encourage others to follow these behaviors. However, in doing so, we must be careful not to forget other conservative tenants to begin with. If we forget the basic principles of conservatism, we will continue to lose people to these unfavorable ends. So, what are the basic principles of conservatism that I speak of that we must first pay attention to? They are freedom to act, freedom from government, responsibility for one's own welfare, and patience that they will see what is truly important.
The freedom to act is a big thing to remember. We all share a freedom to do what we think is best for our lives. If we restrain people's right to live their lives, we become something we don't want to be: tyrants in our own right. This will work counter to what it is we seek to achieve. There is little doubt that we believe our views of life lead to a prosperous society and prosperity for the individual. But when we force our views on others we creat a sense of rebellion in them and they act anyway, arguably worse than they would otherwise. This is unacceptable, and leads to the second abuse that conservatives must be aware of.
Before I move to the discussion of big government, let me address this idea that you may be thinking. I would say that yes, this freedom to live is very similar to the liberals definition of the term. We must allow people to make their own choices, and that means whatever they choose. I differ from them in that I do not think people should choose certain things, while they give a virtual green light. But I do emphasize their ultimate right to make the decisions they make, for better or for worse.
The reason why I make this distinction is exactly the issue in a big and intrusive government. If conservatives force their will on others then they are acting the same as a big government. The freedom to act liberals hold and the expectation of big government is one of the biggest hypocracies of the left, but we must be careful to be consistent. If we force our views on others we are just the same as those who want a big government, even if our use of force is to seek a radically different goal. It is the use of force that is the problem here, not the goal.
Another aspect is the responsibility to accept the consequences of one's own actions. This is a radical departure with the left, who typically says "its not your fault." Well, it is often your fault and only when you see that and take action to make it right or to accept your punishment will you improve. On the other end of the spectrum if you succed and do well you should reap your just rewards, and not share it with those who are in fault. These ideas are the same. But the concept does not stop there in this discussion. Often, social conservatives get bent out of shape when people get hooked on drugs or alcohol or sex or whatever and ruin their lives. It is hard to watch these people do these things, but they do them of their own accord and have made the choice themselves. Rather than berating them for it, remember, they made the choices they made. You didn't. You don't have feel responsible or necessarilly do anything about it. Of course, it is good to seek to be active in the rehabilitation of someone like that, but you cannot make them change to begin with. They must make the choice that they want to change before you can do anything at all. This is not to say you should not communicate with them the problems they are in, but you must do so in a way that is respectable, otherwise, you come across as forceful.
Patience is perhaps the key a conservatism. We must be patient and respectful to those who see the world differently. And I just said, we cannot make anyone do or think anything different than they do right now short of communicating to them respectfully. If we say it well, and live our lives like we should, they will see what is good. But if we are impatient and forceful, heels will be dug in and nothing will be gained. But we must persistent and patient, conservatives will succeed, but we cannot force the issue beyond certain boundaries.
Those boundaries are that we must respect everyone's right to choose to live, the responsibility not to overly intrude, and must respect the consequences that come from their decisions. Of course there are other issues involved. For example, when a spouse is addicted to pornagraphy or an alcoholic, these issues affect the entire family. You often must get deeply involved. But in answer to that I would say that if the relationship is that close, you must act appropriately. This pice is addressed to how social conservatives act to society at large. Another point I would like to address is that I do not consider myself libertarian. I call myself conservative because I do not think people should be left completely to their own devices and that rules should apply, though I grant that this idea has certain libertarian tendencies.
I also wnat to address how the battle is being treated on the left. They seek to shift the issue and change terms to mean something that suites their agenda. How do we address these things? To follow the above advise, I think. The more conservatives push, the more justified they will be, and the worse it will be for conservatives. Stepping back, and letting them live out the choices they have the right to make will be the best way to make the point. But we must let them suffer the consequences of their choices, otherwise, nothing will be gained. We need good conservative lawyers and judges to aid in this, and I hope to contribute in some way to that end in a few years.
Conservatives for some time now have pushed their agenda in a way that has turned many off, earning the nickname fascist, close minded, evil, etc. Conservatives should indeed stick to their guns on the social issues they feel strongly about, but be careful not to push too hard.