The Good Side of Liberalism

What causes liberalism? And why do so many people embrace it, when conservative, tried-and-true values have proven their worth over the centuries?

I have spent a great deal of time considering this, and I have come up with a rather logical explanation. And it is based on things we already know. Why are the young the most virulent liberals, often going overboard, while those over 35 tend to be conservatives? It is obvious that, for this to happen, young liberals must be transforming into conservatives as they grow older. But why?

We know that young people, trying to break free from their parents, seek out different roads to travel. They rebel against the establishment. Even ancient Greek philosophers wrote of this thousands of years ago, and Jesus spoke of it as well. It is nothing new. It is nature at work.

Rebelling against the establishment is a natural phenomenon, geared to force the young to go forth on their own, and build their own lives, which is necessary for the survival of the species. So, liberal thought is a natural, necessary part of life which serves a specific purpose - to cut the apron strings.

But it is what happens after this that has perplexed conservatives since the days of Aristotle.
Most of these youthful rebels, after having successfully separated from their parents, and as they mature, will begin to discover certain indisputable "facts of life" that cause them to become more conservative. I am sure we are all familiar with the ,"Oh my God, I am becoming my mother/father!" This phenomenon is also quite natural. As we mature, most of us realize that we are simply learning what our parents already learned; that our parents, too, had been rebels in their day, just as Jesus said. And in that learning, we come to understand that certain values are timeless, and are designed to protect us from harm. After all, it is important to our survival to embrace traditions that have been founded as a result of self-preservation.

A case in point, most youth do not believe that the "over-protective" nature of parents is a good thing, that parents need to learn how to set their children free. But when they, themselves, are placed in the role of parent, with an obligation to nurture and protect, those same people become "like my mother " - protective.

In nature, liberalism is the tool that preserves the species by putting a wedge between young people and their parents, to force the young into going out on their own. But nature also provides that, in most cases, the liberalism fades and is overtaken by common sense.

The problem lies with those who never mature enough to outgrow their liberal mindset. They do not learn from history. They do not come to value the traditions that protect the species. And these "rejects" in the natural order of things use that liberal mindset to gain power - because during their youth, their liberal tendency is so strong that they captivate the imaginations of many. Case in point: Jane Fonda.

They then combine that power with their liberal bent to convince the new generation that they are the true leaders that they must follow. Those youth, in their desire and need to non-conform, cling to these elder liberals as icons to be admired and held in awe. They see them as "rebels who fought against and survived" the establishment. The Jane Fondas become the icons that the young follow. And it starts all over again.

And it should, to some degree. But it is unnatural and dangerous when that liberalism gains so much power through deception that the young, themselves, do not mature, and continue being liberals throughout their adulthood. They become so deeply immersed in the deceptions of the Jane Fondas that they never outgrow the blindness, as most of us eventually do. The liberalism of today borders on fanaticism, and in some cases (Pelosi and Reed come to mind), cross the line into the fanatical.

Nature needs the young to rebel. But nature also needs those young to eventually mature, and give up their childish ways, becoming more conservative ("When I was a child, I spoke as a child, but as I became a man, I had to put aside childish things". That comes from 1st Corinthians in the Bible). But the problem lies with those who never mature, and continue to cling to liberalism. The Jane Fondas, Michael Moores and other "old liberals" never grew up; never put aside their childish ways. Their youthful rebellion was the high point of their lives - the time when they were able to lead their peers. They were the instigators. They were the ones who STARTED rallies instead of JOINING them. And as they grew older, they clung to that popularity, like an aging movie star clings to the days of her beauty. They just cannot give it up. It is the liberal movement that gave them power, and they do not want to relinquish that power, for fear of "becoming mediocre, like my mother."

Frankly, I would rather be mediocre and sane than to be powerful and insane. And liberalism in adults is just that - insane. Sane people learn from the past and move on. Insane people cling to the past and never outgrow it. And never learn from it!

And that is why most liberals are found among the young, and most of them become conservatives once they discover the truth about life - usually by age 35 or so. That is why, for most people, they do, indeed, become "like my mother."

The rest? Well, perhaps we should pity them, as we would pity anyone who spends their life in a world apart from reality. Like the fellow who believes he is Napoleon, these "elder radicals" simply live in a world of make-believe.

Perhaps that explains Hollywood. Those folks make their living in the world of make-believe. Perhaps they find it difficult or inconvenient to leave it behind when the studio closes for the day.

So, to all of today's youth I would say, "Go forth, and be liberal enough to break out on your own." But to those same youth I would also warn, upon maturing and becoming an independent part of the human community, put aside the liberalism and embrace conservative values that have survived thousands of years because it is those values that protect us. Family values. Community values. If you spend your life opposing those values, and "fighting the establishment", you do harm to the entire race. You help to keep us divided. United we stand, divided we fall.

Here is a hint to the Jane Fondas of the world: anyone who believes at 70 what they believed at 20 simply has not learned anything new in 50 years. And that is pathetic.