So this is going to be a really long post, read it if you want, or not, I'm just curious about some feedback. I just typed it out in word a while ago in a sort of flash of inspiration, because I am so damn tired of people vilifying whichever ideas they don't agree with, and the general level of hatred and venom in the political process in the past decade or so.
Here it goes,
We need both conservatives and liberals, by the very nature of their name they exemplify the nature of progress, and without the two aspects a society will collapse on itself. The need for an overall balance is paramount, because when one force gains a monopoly on power for an extended amount of time the balancing act will not function. However, power cannot be equally divided: it must be tipping one way or the other at all times. The swing of popular opinion and political power between the two extremes is what makes the process work.
Shown in their very names, liberals and conservatives are diametrically opposed, yet both want the exact same thing for their country, prosperity and happiness. How then can two fundamentally opposed forces be so hostile to the other, yet working towards the same goal? The answer lies within the opposition itself. A society without conflict is a stagnant one, and in the conflict between the left and the right, the true left and right, not the politically constructed parties, moves society forward. Liberals, by nature, are liberal with their use of funds and power, and are always pushing for more, for better, for new things, ideas, and values. This pushing past current social limitations is necessary for progress. However, this unrelenting push for newer and different values and ideals is in itself a destructive process, destroying the values and ideals of the past to make way for the new core beliefs. This can be useful, and at times necessary, but the past is not something to be avoided, just because something is old doesnt mean it is wrong or useless. The liberal agenda left alone would destroy a society, leaving it to forget its past and live for the future. Moving forward and upward without a base to stand on can only cause collapse.
This is where the role of the conservatives comes into play. The conservative ideal is one of stability, and one of reliability and tradition. While conservative forces admittedly often have dark sides, with many who are afraid to embrace the changes that are necessary for society clinging to the values of the past, this refusal to accept the more radical ideals of the liberal forces keeps unrelenting change in check. Periods of extreme liberalism in US history have always been followed by periods of conservatism, in which the changes that took place during the liberal period are consolidated and weighed for their benefits. Liberals are often high minded and ambitious, but they often lack key tenets of the mindset conservatives rely on, realism and pragmatism, and often that realism has kept potentially disastrous liberal ideas in check. Their resistance to change is the reason that, for the most part, positive change is the norm as time goes by. Unwilling to simply hope for the best, conservatives want results, and will simply not accept change for changes sake. The commonly tossed around phrase of conservatives standing in the way of progress is flawed. If conservatives did not stand in the way of progress, progress would quickly collapse. The very fact that substantial change has to go through an extremely lengthy and trying process to become permanent means society is better protected from irrelevant and dangerous change. Of course, just as extreme liberalism holds its dangers, so too does extreme conservatism. Without a significant liberal presence pushing it forward, a society will stagnate, failing to change when necessary.
To put it simply, liberals arent going to destroy America with their new ideas and conservatives arent going to destroy America by holding back progress, it just doesnt work that way. If one side becomes too outrageous with their use of power, the other end of the spectrum will gain more supporters and the process continues. Essentially, liberals push society forward, while conservatives hold society together through the process of change. Any criticisms of specific tenets of policy on either side are perfectly valid, but criticisms of the belief systems themselves reveal a person to be ignorant to the basis of American politics. Both are necessary, and the dynamics of shifts in power between the two groups is the catalyst for all real progress in America.
Obviously this is mainly concerned with social issues, and is a complete and utter generalization. I just got kind of wacked out reading my business textbook and had a flash of inspiration. Hope you got something out of it.
Here it goes,
We need both conservatives and liberals, by the very nature of their name they exemplify the nature of progress, and without the two aspects a society will collapse on itself. The need for an overall balance is paramount, because when one force gains a monopoly on power for an extended amount of time the balancing act will not function. However, power cannot be equally divided: it must be tipping one way or the other at all times. The swing of popular opinion and political power between the two extremes is what makes the process work.
Shown in their very names, liberals and conservatives are diametrically opposed, yet both want the exact same thing for their country, prosperity and happiness. How then can two fundamentally opposed forces be so hostile to the other, yet working towards the same goal? The answer lies within the opposition itself. A society without conflict is a stagnant one, and in the conflict between the left and the right, the true left and right, not the politically constructed parties, moves society forward. Liberals, by nature, are liberal with their use of funds and power, and are always pushing for more, for better, for new things, ideas, and values. This pushing past current social limitations is necessary for progress. However, this unrelenting push for newer and different values and ideals is in itself a destructive process, destroying the values and ideals of the past to make way for the new core beliefs. This can be useful, and at times necessary, but the past is not something to be avoided, just because something is old doesnt mean it is wrong or useless. The liberal agenda left alone would destroy a society, leaving it to forget its past and live for the future. Moving forward and upward without a base to stand on can only cause collapse.
This is where the role of the conservatives comes into play. The conservative ideal is one of stability, and one of reliability and tradition. While conservative forces admittedly often have dark sides, with many who are afraid to embrace the changes that are necessary for society clinging to the values of the past, this refusal to accept the more radical ideals of the liberal forces keeps unrelenting change in check. Periods of extreme liberalism in US history have always been followed by periods of conservatism, in which the changes that took place during the liberal period are consolidated and weighed for their benefits. Liberals are often high minded and ambitious, but they often lack key tenets of the mindset conservatives rely on, realism and pragmatism, and often that realism has kept potentially disastrous liberal ideas in check. Their resistance to change is the reason that, for the most part, positive change is the norm as time goes by. Unwilling to simply hope for the best, conservatives want results, and will simply not accept change for changes sake. The commonly tossed around phrase of conservatives standing in the way of progress is flawed. If conservatives did not stand in the way of progress, progress would quickly collapse. The very fact that substantial change has to go through an extremely lengthy and trying process to become permanent means society is better protected from irrelevant and dangerous change. Of course, just as extreme liberalism holds its dangers, so too does extreme conservatism. Without a significant liberal presence pushing it forward, a society will stagnate, failing to change when necessary.
To put it simply, liberals arent going to destroy America with their new ideas and conservatives arent going to destroy America by holding back progress, it just doesnt work that way. If one side becomes too outrageous with their use of power, the other end of the spectrum will gain more supporters and the process continues. Essentially, liberals push society forward, while conservatives hold society together through the process of change. Any criticisms of specific tenets of policy on either side are perfectly valid, but criticisms of the belief systems themselves reveal a person to be ignorant to the basis of American politics. Both are necessary, and the dynamics of shifts in power between the two groups is the catalyst for all real progress in America.
Obviously this is mainly concerned with social issues, and is a complete and utter generalization. I just got kind of wacked out reading my business textbook and had a flash of inspiration. Hope you got something out of it.
