Others, many others, have set out the numerous differences between liberals and conservatives, and their systems, socialism and capitalism (or statism and individualism). So it is with some trepidation that I will add my two cents worth to the discussion.
There are those, including moi, who make endless fun of liberals because...EASY! But making fun of something isn't always convincing. Especially within the canon of liberalism which gains its great power by appealing to a peculiar kind of religious certainty, even as they typically dismiss religion as mere superstition.
This is not hard to understand. As humans, we are wired to be religious. Being able to understand the finality of death, we are unavoidably faced with the questions its inevitably raises. Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where will I go? These questions, and their answers, lie at the heart of any religion. Ultimately, and this is why there are so many religions, these are not easy questions with concrete answers. They are questions that must be faced and then reconciled with the fact that no one really knows. This leaves one with either fear or faith; many of us resign ourselves to a little bit of both. The degree to which these questions propel us between fear and faith has, in my opinion, a great deal to do with how humble we are. To be faced with one's mortality and to choose humility is the beginning of faith. Alternatively, when one chooses, instead, the force of one's ego to address these eternal questions, one is left helpless and fearful -- because the ego has no answers at all.
Liberalism is a philosophy of arrogance and ego. It does not question itself or its actions. I see no humility in liberalism. Even when I can clearly see compassion or concern for others, there is no humility in their ideas. There cannot be in a system that presumes that some men are sufficiently superior to direct the lives of others.
But such a delicious distraction it is for those who presume to know! To be busily directing the lives and fortunes of others due to the
urgency of present need! Who can be expected to care where one came from or where one is going when so many need so much right now? The fear of uncertainty is avoided by simply refusing to ask the questions. Only the second question, why am I here? remains valid. And having banished humility along with the more fearful questions, they then set about answering the second question with iron-fisted ferocity. This is the real lure of liberalism. It sets the religious impulse free from the restraints of humility.
Once this is done the ego of man is entirely in charge and assumes the role with the absolute conviction of moral good. This releases the more deadly aspect of the ego: to want without any effort, to lust and to covet and desire. It is no coincidence that of the Ten Commandments, God felt it necessary to have FIVE of them deal with keeping your hands, eyes, words, and thoughts inside the ride at all times.
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| See? What did I tell you? |
This dark and constant part of humanity is what liberalism appeals to and what it gleefully unleashes. Fear and a lack of humility drive those who would organize the system. Greed and avarice drive those who would be slaves to the system. And this is why the poison of liberalism will always be with us. It is inside us, fed by fear and buoyed by ego. God saw this. He knew it. He commanded us to resist it.
Another Bible saying is "It is better to give than to receive." This always struck me as nonsensical as a kid, because if everyone was giving, than everyone was also receiving. Which was actually better, therefore, became a moot point. However, in my old age, I've realized that if you take away the GIVE part, you destroy the RECEIVE part and the whole idea collapses. This is at the heart of why conservatism (capitalism) creates wealth and prosperity, while liberalism (socialism) creates need and poverty. In capitalism, in order for me to be successful and attain my own dreams, I have to somehow find a way to meet another's needs, dreams, desires. I must think of what I can GIVE. Of course, they, then, must give me an equal exchange in value, whether it is money or trade...so everyone is giving and everyone is receiving. The saying holds up, and prosperity and advancement are the results. But in socialism, I no longer am required to care what your needs are; giving to you is not necessary, receiving from you is the order of the day. Free education. Free healthcare. Free Obama phones. The GIVE part breaks down because no one is particularly concerned with that. They don't need to be. The RECEIVE part quickly dries up, however, because there is nothing to receive. This breakdown takes a little longer to materialize in real life because there we also have the ability to MAKE people give through the power of the state. Of course, it's just "their fair share.
Giving is an expression of who you are and what you can do; receiving is simply the satisfying of desires and needs. In balance, they create a perfect synergy. Out of balance, the whole thing breaks. Giving makes you a good person. Receiving doesn't. But liberals care not about what makes men good; in fact, they would be horrified at the suggestion that they should. They place all their moral
impulse on meeting the physical needs of others, without understanding that receiving without giving creates fear, greed, despair, and unhappiness.
So let's imagine, for a moment, if the ideas of liberals actually took us to the promised land of Utopia. It would be a world, I imagine, where everything was taken care of for you, where
all your needs were met -- a world of only receiving. A world where
giving would have no purpose because no one would have any need of
anything you had to give.
This would be a world where no one had any value to any other person. Oh, there would be those who would be nice to each other, people would have friends, many would marry, as is always the case in any society. But in each person's heart there would be the knowledge that if they died, it would not matter, because their life didn't really matter. And in each heart would remain those eternal questions, only now, no one would have any way to address them. Where did we come from? It doesn't matter. Why are we here? It doesn't matter. Where will we go? It doesn't matter.
What we do matters. What we are able to do for others matters. Doing these things in a world where the outcome is uncertain matters. Rising about difficulties matters. Becoming someone stronger, better, wiser, more talented, more able to give matters. It all matters.
In a perfect Utopia, nothing would matter. It would be all about you...and you would find that you don't matter.
