The perspective of a conservative...

If the late 1700's was considered the Age of Reason, then certainly the early 21st century will be known as the Age of the UnReasonable. How anybody can think we continue to live in a time of reason, to me, is unfathomable. With the direction our country seems to be shifting, in terms of morals and politics, it seems that reason has been tossed out the window. People tend to lean toward the fringe where laws are made based emotion rather then reasonable or logical thought. When things go wrong, or honest mistakes are made, reason is ignored so that blame can be placed. News is filled with blame placed on one political side or the other without any thought or respect of the otherside's point of view.

This has recently come into play with the press embarking on a fiendish, witch hunt because the federal government did not "respond soon enough" or they were "slow to react" after Katrina hit the New Orleans area. The Democrats are quick to blame Republicans and the President for a slow response, specifically implying that this apparent lack of response was because it was poor black people down there and not rich white Americans. (In all reality, I believe that it was an underperformance on behalf of the local and regional leadership, as they should have requested the federal government to enter the scene rather than standing around wondering when the federal government was going to arrive… it is a classic case of sovereign states rights… the federal government can not jump into the situation until they are invited… but that is a subject for another post.) I must say that I for one am a little fed up with this idea that conservatives can not be compassionate, or that just because republicans have a different political perspective than that of its counterpart, that we don’t care about people if they are from an African American background, Hispanic background, or from some other background other than European decent. The liberal left will scoff at this idea... but I would make the argument that if anybody is uncompassionate, it may very well be the liberal left. While many, including moderates, would think this thought as preposterous or ludicrous, I suggest that you give me an opportunity to apply a little reason to my thoughts before you immediately dismiss them based on the emotions you may be currently feeling right now. Of course these words for some will insight fury, or immediately place liberals on the defense, but hear me out. Thomas Pain in his introduction to the Age of Reason states,

“You will do me the justice to remember, that I have always strenuously supported the Right of every Man to his own opinion, however different that opinion might be to mine. He who denies to another this right, makes a slave of himself to his present opinion, because he precludes himself the right of changing it.”

I agree with Mr. Pain 100% and I request the same justice he requested of his audience back then. Civil discourse is always the best approach. Now when I say that the liberal left can be uncompassionate, what I am saying is that their emotions tend to rule their thoughts. While they feel like they are helping a situation, at times they are actually compounding the problem because they are following their emotions rather than using rational thought. For example, with the hurricane in the New Orleans area or any other natural disaster, after the storm has passed, I believe that even though one’s emotions may be saying, “Everybody jump in a car and go help…” restraint must be considered. Is this not compounding the problem if everybody jumps in a car and drives down to New Orleans before there is a sense of order or before there is a chance to formulate plan of attack? I heard this suggestion several times in the days immediately following the hurricane… and my thoughts were, “That’s insane, why would anybody try and do that… aren’t people trying to leave the area? Wouldn’t this just cause more problems?” Of course, I can’t fault those who are feeling like they “just want to do something personally to help others…” I would just argue that it is important to apply reason as you are attempting to be part of the solution. Its not that I don’t care about what happens to these people; however, I know that in a situation like this, if chaos is running ramped and there is no sense of order, then rushing to the scene will just make me part of the chaos.

Depending on how one approaches compassion is really going to determine what side of the line you fall on, liberal or conservative.

Compassion in its simplest terms is:

A sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it.

I believe that, whether you are liberal or conservative, it is human nature to have compassion for your fellow man. Now the approach on how to alleviate it is really where the views part ways. I truly believe that both liberals and conservatives are compassionate, generally speaking of course; however, I would also argue that the left’s approach in showing its compassion can be detrimental to those in which their compassion is directed. Let me explain. Which do you believe is more compassionate? Providing aid and social welfare which becomes an enabler to those by not requiring them to work or grow… or providing aid and welfare that requires people to be challenged through work or education as they are supported… eventually giving to these people, whom you are trying to help, the ability to help themselves? Of course the old adage of "Give a man a fish, feed him for the day... teach a man to fish... feed him for life" applies here.

My perspective on compassion is that if a liberal sees a dog that has just been run over in the street, their emotions will immediately kick in and they will attempt at all costs to try and keep this dog breathing… even if the Vet arrives on the scene and determines there is nothing that can be done, the liberal will demand that something be done, even when this may not be in the best interest of the dog. The conservative will approach the situation with reason rather than emotion…The conservative will still attempt to aid the dog, but upon hearing the verdict from the Vet… the conservative will more than likely pull out his or her .22 rifle and immediately shoot the dog in the back of the head… putting it out of its misery. Which is the more compassionate approach? Now, while this is a graphic picture, I am by no means trying to make a correlation between how we choose to approach those in need and shooting a half run over dog. What I am trying to present is a classic case in point of how conservatives and liberals have a different perspective on how to properly channel their compassion. (The proper approach is probably somewhere in the middle allowing the Vet to put the dog to sleep rather than shooting it… although from a conservative perspective, a bullet would be cheaper... RELAX... I love dogs just as much as the next person... this is just an illustration.) That said, I realize that I am generalizing all liberals, which is not the intention of this post. However, I do intend to imply that there is a fundamental difference in our approach as we experience compassion. I would also argue that just as it is not right for me to classify all liberals as exactly the same, it is not right for liberals to say that conservatives can not be compassionate. I am sure there are both uncompassionate liberals and conservatives alike.


In conclusion of this extremely long post, I would argue that although liberals feel that conservatives lack compassion, this is simply just not the case. It's not that we don't love others or that we are not concerned for their well being... Our approach is just slightly different.