Liberals and Conservatives

We have always had our differences. It seems that today, that we are more polarized than ever. The arguments have become quite heated.

In a free society, some argument is to be expected. After all, we are free to voice our opinions, and we all know that we don’t all agree on everything. This is healthy.

I worry that our current state of extreme polarization is more a result of someone or someones egging us on. “Divide and Conquer” is another very old strategy of those who would rule us. Maybe I am just paranoid…

These days, I hear not so much the heated debates of rational arguments, but rather name calling, and slurs. The Conservatives sneer when they say “liberals”, and the Liberals mock when they say “conservatives”. Yes, these two groups have some differences in the way they see things, and in their goals…

Many years ago when I was a young woman, an older woman (friend of our family) told me that her priest had told her the following: That a free society needs both liberals and conservatives in order to be a healthy vibrant society. The conservatives “conserve” or hold to traditions and maintain stability. This is a good thing, without which, we would surely end up with confusion and some chaos. However, the liberals are not bound to tradition so much and seek new and better ways to do things. This is also good, without which we would stagnate. Imagine if everyone were conservative – we might not have moved out of the caves. Or more recently in history, we may not have had the American Revolution and would today be under the rule of England’s kings and queens. Imagine if everyone were liberal, we could lose much continuity and stability…

As the above examples show, some things are worth preserving and some things are worth changing. When we can value each other’s perspective and contribution to the whole, we can better evaluate which of those things are to be preserved and which we want to change. As long as we are locked in battle with each other, our emotions get in the way, and we no longer really hear the other side’s arguments. For example, as long as a conservative hates the liberals, he/she will not be able to hear the good ideas that a liberal may come up with. So also if a liberal continues to hate conservatives, he/she will not be able to hear the importance of what needs to be preserved.

In fact, I hear some Conservatives criticize Liberals calling them “unpatriotic”. Yet, check out this excerpt from Wikipedia’s “Liberalism”:

Broadly speaking, liberalism emphasizes individual rights and equality of opportunity. A liberal society is characterized by freedom of thought for individuals, limitations on power, the rule of law, the free exchange of ideas, a market economy, free private enterprise, and a transparent system of government in which the rights of all citizens are protected.^[2] In the 21st century, this usually means liberal democracy with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law.^[3]

Liberalism rejected many foundational assumptions that dominated most earlier theories of government, such as the Divine Right of Kings, hereditary status, and established religion. Social progressivism, the belief that traditions do not carry any inherent value and social practices ought to be continuously adjusted for the greater benefit of humanity, is a common component of liberal ideology. Fundamental human rights that all liberals support include the right to life, liberty, and property.

Doesn’t this sound familiar? Aren’t these the ideas that fueled the American Revolution? Are these not American traditions? I think they need preserving.

Conservatism is harder to define as it depends upon the society or culture that is being preserved. Basically, I see the conservatives as the backbone in whichever societal system it lives. As in this excerpt from Wikipedia’s “Conservatism”:

Conservatism is a relativistic term used to describe political philosophies that favor traditional values, where “tradition” refers to religious, cultural, or nationally defined beliefs and customs. The term is derived from the Latin, conservāre, to conserve; “to keep, guard, observe”. Since different cultures have different established values, conservatives in different cultures have different goals. Some conservatives seek to preserve the status quo, while others seek to return to the values of an earlier time, the status quo ante.

Conservatism as a political ideology is notoriously difficult to define, encompassing numerous different movements in various countries and time periods; there may sometimes be contradictions between the alternate conceptions of conservatism as the ideology of preserving the past, and the contemporary worldwide conception of conservatism as a right-wing political stance. For instance, as one commentator questions, “who are the ‘conservatives’ in today’s Russia? Are they the unreconstructed Stalinists, or the reformers who have adopted the right-wing views of conservatives like Margaret Thatcher?”^[1]

I see that rather than embracing specific ideology, conservatives are defined by the system they are preserving. It seems to me that here in America, the conservatives are preserving some liberal ideas…but maybe they have forgotten that.

We are not (or should not) be enemies. We are all Americans. Together we decide what to change and what to preserve. We, the people, not the politicians. That would be Conservatism of American Values.