Conservatism - Real Compassion
July, 6 2008
By Douglas B. Wakeman
Today I was reminded once again of the misperception amongst the general, non-political population of the nature of conservatism and the difference between conservatism and liberalism.
Someone was surprised to hear that this heartless conservative contributes generously to various charities, including the Humane Society.
So, once again, let’s take a shot at explaining how it is possible for a conservative to give a shit about his fellows, how the perception that he is incapable of such empathy came to be accepted by the hoi-polloi, and how conservatism is actually the more compassionate perspective.
I start from the certainty that the great majority of the non-politically idealogized population are the same in their concern for the problems that plague humanity like injustice, poverty, crime, pollution and animal suffering, regardless of their conservative/liberal leanings. The notion that conservatives care not a whit for these concerns and that liberals do is a monstrously nefarious hoax and calumny.
Once a society has attained a degree of prosperity where it is no longer necessary for its members to occupy every spare minute obtaining food and shelter, those citizens turn their energies toward improving less immediate conditions outside of themselves and their families and toward improving their communities. I can guarantee you that North Koreans, scrounging scraps of bark from trees to make soup are not overly concerned about pollution or the starving stranger down the street. I also insist that it is irrefutable that it is inherent in human nature for an individual to seek to improve the conditions of his neighbors and communities. If the fact that the idea of charity is ubiquitous in all human societies and religions throughout geography and history is not enough to cement this notion, look at the masses of voters who put politicians in office who promise to take their earnings and give them to the hungry, the homeless and the sick.
Once you accept (if you are capable) that both liberals and conservatives wish to address the above-mentioned concerns, you have to ask why the policies and philosophies that they promote are so diametrically opposed.
The primary difference is a world view. Conservatives know that humans are flawed and the universe is constructed such that there are trade-offs to every decision. You can only achieve the best possible result among many imperfect ones. Liberals believe that, if only the right policies and people are put in place, all tragedies of the human condition and the unfeeling universe can be alleviated.
The clash between these two views is irreconcilable.
The second major difference between liberals and conservatives, and the one that occupies us in our current battles, is a fundamental dispute regarding the source of the solution for our concerns.
Conservatives believe that the great masses of the citizenry, once freed from the burden of feeding and sheltering their families, while living in liberty are the best source of mitigation of the tragedies of the human condition. We believe that, since we care, and our families, friends and acquaintances care, that most of civil society share our concerns
Liberals also believe that they are good and care for the degraded condition of their fellows. But, they do not believe that their fellow citizens are as concerned as they are. They think that they are special. They believe that their fellow citizens are uniformly greedy and self-interested and will not willingly assist in relieving misery and suffering. Therefore, it is up to them to mitigate the problems that plague mankind through force. Where is force? It resides in only one place in a lawful society – the state.
So, both conservatives and liberals want to improve the condition of their fellows and their communities. This is obviously a natural desire incorporated in human nature. They only differ in their approach to addressing these problems. One believes in individuals, the other believes in the state.
Conservatives think this is best achieved through civil society and its many voluntary charities, fraternal organizations, churches, foundations, scouting, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and all the myriad other support groups that spring up like mushrooms to address any imaginable concern. We also acknowledge the incalculable giving of time and money contributed by parents, coaches and thousands of other types of individuals. This is the tremendous energy of 99% of the population working together, outside of any governmental sanction, to make a better world.
Liberals believe that this is best achieved through state coercion. They are utterly blind to the above-mentioned civil society efforts EVEN WHEN THEY ARE THEMSELVES INVOLVED IN SUCH ORGANIZATIONS! Just as they believe that they are better than their fellow citizens in their concern for the less fortunate, they believe that the organizations that they belong to are the exception.
But, why, when we are all concerned for the condition of our fellows and our communities, and only differ philosophically on the solution, are conservatives demonized as selfishly apathetic?
We look at liberals as misguided and mistaken in their position. We are always willing to engage in rational debate to attempt to win them over.
They look at us as evil. They seek only to silence us.
We are not surprised to hear that a liberal coaches a kids’ basketball team or acts as a scout leader.
They are shocked that we support the Humane Society or spend Saturdays cleaning a stretch of road.
It is because liberals, by their nature, are political activists and conservatives by nature are content as things are.
If you believe that your fellows are less virtuous than you are, and you want a better world, you will seek power to bend them to your will.
If you believe that your fellows are the same as you in their desire for a better world, you will tend to your own affairs.
So, liberals seek the sources of power and once ensconced, drive out any who do not share their worldview.
This is how liberalism has become entrenched in our media, our culture, our schools and our churches.
And, through this all-encompassing cultural milieu, the message has been delivered to the masses that conservatives do not care for the unfortunate and the environment. It is one of the greatest, most malevolent propaganda coups in world history.
It could only be through a massive takeover of the means of communication that the appalling crimes of liberalism could become accepted and the decent, common-sense lessons of history, demonstrated in conservative thought could become demonized.
Following are some conclusions that hatred and contempt for your fellows, built upon an inflated sense of self righteous superiority, drives liberals to believe:
Incredibly, these are generally accepted truths in American society today.
Conservatives reject these ridiculous notions. Is that so outrageous? Does rejection of these idiocies depict unfeeling callousness for the downtrodden? It doesn’t take a genius to see which belief system shows genuine compassion for humanity.
The state is utterly incapable of achieving any alleviation of the human suffering caused by human nature. All attempts have failed miserably. Oh, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and welfare have been a great success you say! They have bankrupted the nation. They have bankrupted your children, your grand children and your great grand children. This country is broke. It is worse than broke. Using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) we are 50 trillion in debt! We are living in a liberal Potemkin village. Some success! How is stealing trillions of dollars from people yet unborn to fund your own health care and pensions deemed compassionate? Our social programs are the most monstrous monetary crime in all of human history!
There is no possible way to know how America would look today if conservative principles were not, by their very nature, passive. I suspect that it would be a far more prosperous and just society. For instance, government would not guarantee anyone a paltry pension which suppresses the natural inclination of a free person to plan for the future. Who knows what mechanisms would have evolved through civil society and free markets to secure our old age and to provide for those who failed to plan or could not plan for whatever reason. One thing I know. It would be far more compassionate than this nightmare forced upon us by venal, moronic politicians and the well-meaning liberals who put them in office.
Passive conservatism by its nature must give way to activist liberalism. This is another tragedy of the human condition. Liberalism is the rust of freedom. Human nature makes it inevitable. Liberty, like all things is subject to entropy.
But, that doesn’t mean that we conservatives have to put up with being portrayed as mean-spirited and unfeeling. We oppose stealing from posterity. We oppose enslaving future generations to our own selfish desires. It is not we who are transforming a vibrant society of self-reliant individuals into a morass of skittering, pewling serfs. We contribute our time and money to charity in twice the numbers as the liberals who force us at gunpoint to tithe to thieving politicians.
We believe in Liberty. We believe in the decency of our fellows. We are opposed to the miserable slavery of the collective. We have the true claim to compassion!
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