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Moral Conservatives Should Reject Libertarianism
This is for my kind, conservative friends who reject liberalism for various reasons. It will take only 3 minutes of your time.
There are 3,236 ways to differentiate conservatives and progressives, but they all reduce to one thing.
Conservatives think that people who make poor choices deserve what they get, and that it’s not their (or anyone else’s) responsibility to help them.
Too bad. They should have made better choices.
This is the foundation of Libertarianism.
Progressives think the opposite. They believe that even those who made bad choices should be helped by those who can. They believe it’s our duty as good people to do this, and that the government programs that make it happen are simply the mechanisms doing what the people want, i.e. to help others.
But conservatives are kind as well.
They donate bountifully to charities, and are deeply giving of themselves when they feel it’s deserved. Most people are like that, if you think about it.
Most believe that some subset of people on the planet is deserving of their help. Maybe it’s just close friends. Or just family. Or just those who look and think like we do.
The question is where one draws the line between who does and does not deserve help. And that’s my plea to my conservative friends.
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I ask you to consider whether you have scoped your kindness too tightly. I ask you which moral or religious leader do you know of and look up to who supports the libertarian ideal of:
Too bad. They should have made better choices.
Is that truly a moral position? Is it ok to use that as a justification to not care about the suffering of others? I think you’re too smart and too kind for that.
I ask that you reject the Libertarian concept of turning our backs on those who have stumbled in life, and to open your kindness and compassion to everyone.
It’s harder and more painful to take on that responsibility—to extend your family in some way to everyone in the world. But for a kind and compassionate person, I simply don’t know how we can limit who we offer our care to.
I don’t see how we can be so kind to our close friends, and families, and to our congregations, while simultaneously blocking from our minds and thoughts the billions who suffer daily on this planet.
“They should have made better choices” is not a justification for good people to ignore the suffering of others.
Be the good person that you are, and consider discarding any political ideology that encourages otherwise.
Notes
There are plenty of legitimate places to disagree with progressives. This issue–the issue of morality and compassion–is not one of them.
Giving to charity and not caring about the people who receive it should be unavailable to any kind person, as it simply because an Apathy Fee that enables disregard for those who suffer.
Libertarianism is a political concept centered around personal responsibility and autonomy. It’s a good concept that we should not discard. But it doesn’t have to be put above everything else. It should take a secondary role when it pushes against the more important moral considerations of compassion and kindness.