A case for liberalism

 Sun Sep 14, 2008 12:38 am

Now that the kids are off to college, I may simply have too much time on my hands. Having had twins, I know how difficult it is to raise them responsibly while still having to tend to all the other stuff life throws at you. And where is the humility I talked so much about all the while bashing liberalism, a deeply personal view point held by many of you? I realize the narrow and sensitive line between being provocative and simply offensive. I mince no words, but strive to be reasoned. Fortunately there is a delete option for emails. ;-)

If nothing else, I hope you will accept my plea that, even with no audience, the debate continues in me, and that I understand argument for its own sake, or obstinate defense of pre-conceived conclusion in the face of persuasive case for modification are self-inflicting blinders to the clarity we seek. Above all, I try to follow the footsteps of Uncle Ming's quest for wisdom, although his was in the deft distillation of the complicated universal principles into elegant, profound and easy to digest forms; I, in contrast, fear the silence of serenity and, like a lowly moth worm, spin yards of fanciful silk emulating a butterfly cocoon, or the noisy cicada, thunderous one day followed by years of whimper.

Since "Change" is this election's theme, my agreement with this only constant in a world that drifts down the river of divine destiny or random uncertainly, but drift it does. Our gaze held steady but the landscape had already changed, and at the moment before nostalgia the season had already turned...

I was a liberal at one time. What I believed in has not changed much, but the label sure has. For me liberalism was defined differently than how it's interpreted in modern times. It is now less of an ideal, and more of a way.

I was reading an article by Thomas Sowell that even conservatives would love to live in a liberal world. (http://townhall.com/Columnists/ThomasSowell/2008/09/09/the_vision_of_the_left) Indeed, at the heart of a true American conservative lives the best of liberalism where charity, equality and liberty are principle tenets of our democracy. In essence, what we want to see as a nation of free and prosperous people are not that much different from one another. Where we diverge is when rubber meets the road of implementing those ideals through laws and governance.

The practicing liberalism today, in my opinion, makes several assumptions about human nature that either runs counter or even poses danger to the conceptual liberalism. It all comes down to believing that humans are intrinsically good and altruistic. The first assumption is that need is not greed (only the rich are), second is power of good intention does not corrupt, and lastly, evil stems from a lack of communication and misunderstanding.

I don't think it takes a wild leap of faith to believe that we can never get enough of a free thing. Throw dollar bills into a crowded mall and frenzy ensues. Unless the money dries up, the crowd won't go away and only gets bigger. It is our nature to forego the hard and embrace the easy. A welfare state easily creates an addictive mentality, luring even those without need and incentivize some to cheat to get on the system -- much to the detriment of the truly needy. This dilutes our ideal of charity.

And when was the last time a person or entity in power voluntarily gives up his position unless by law or by force? Short of brute power, how is easier to come to or retain power than through promises of goodies? Sure seems much more attractive than saying you are on your own, work hard and good luck. Whether in government or leadership of the "downtrodden and oppressed," they horde that power by promising more free money and enlarging the welfare state. No matter which party, the government will grow as long as there is demand for money and no self-discipline. This creates two major supporters of practicing liberalism, one the needy the other the power elites, neither has true liberal ideals at heart. It becomes grabs for money and power. The polarization of centralized power and dependency does not promote equality.

Lastly, the assumption that we are no better than anyone else leads to a paralysis to condemn evil, which is the result of moral relativism. The want to offer dictators and despots same courtesy as leaders of free nations, and to believe in their promises from negotiation lead to a false comfort that clouds sharp and timely decision-making, and sacrifices our edge in preparedness to deal with evil actions. Such view is perceived by the heartless as weakness. In times of crisis we need to assume the worst in our adversaries, not the other way. This weakens our ability to preserve and promote liberty.

That is why I am a conservative, not because I reject liberal ideals but I am pessimistic about human nature when tempted with money, power and ambition. That is why we need to exhort and encourage each other to reach for higher morals, and be inspired by the ideals we hold dear, and not pander with promises of more. I want charity to be mostly private, local and personal, so we don't pass our sacred duty to others; I want the weak and fallen to stand up with more opportunities, not endless alms without condition; I want the government to be small and lean, taking care of the important basics of national security, infrastructure and civil-protection, but leave more to the private sectors who are much more efficient and turn our nature of greed in a positive and productive way; I want a strong leadership with clear vision of the world as it is, not as it ought to be, and not blink in the face of evil. That is the realistic and sobering view of our world in trying to promote the true liberal values.

There is no perfection, and people will be people in all their glories and downfalls no matter which ideology or party. Conservatism is not high value, but a practical one, and many subscribers are just as susceptible to the corrosive seduction of money and power. This is not about people, but ideas about people. How we see each other has profound influence on our political leanings. I hope I had made a case for what I believe in.

Long live liberal values with conservative caution!

Jim