Reason 4: I Want You To Become A Conservative

 

In this fourth and final installment of my series, “Why My Attention is on UT-Tyler”, I will give my final reason for why I still have my attention on the student community even after I have graduated. It is this: I want UT-Tyler students to become Conservatives. I understand that many students may not be ready to do this—and truth be told, I don’t want you to change. 

What I really want is for students to be exposed to the insights that lead to a Conservative perspective. In the end, I would really like it and it would be great to me if, after considering the arguments and fundamental ideas, you decided on your own that you would call yourself a Conservative. What I mean is that I would love it if you decided to hold the same commitments to the values and beliefs that I hold as I do: to virtue, righteousness, security and most importantly, to God. These are all very important and I would love it if you joined me in treasuring these things so that together, we could both say, “I’m Conservative.”

Now, a person is more than being Conservative in their orientation, and really, if you go around organizing people in terms of whether or not they are Conservative, I am going to say that something is wrong with you. There is more to appreciate in a person that just whether or not they are Conservative. Appreciate people as they are and don’t look past their humanity to find their political affiliation.

Nevertheless, underneath these superficial categories, I am assuming that there are values and attitudes of the heart that are noble, honorable and worth celebrating that go along with the identification of someone being a Conservative. These values humanize a person, can make him whole and fulfill him. In the end, these humanizing values I think are what I would most consider Conservative values—although, I would say that there are even more important values that these. That is,  that Conservatism, in its natural state, does not go far enough and that what is really necessary to make a person whole is Christianity—but we can save this topic for another time.

All in all, I am writing my final installment of why my attention is on UT-Tyler because in the end, I would like you to celebrate with me the values and ethics that preserve a person’s humanity. That is, I would like you to become a Conservative.

The Meaning of Conservatism

So what does Conservatism mean? First of all, it is important to realize the word “conservative” does not have a universal meaning. For example, there is a great deal of difference between the Conservatives in Iran than there are the Conservatives in Australia. Iranian Conservatives may seek to preserve the Islamic Theocracy presently in power in Iran while Australia Conservatives may seek to preserve a secular government that is consistent with the liberal society in Australia. So don’t let the word “conservative” throw you. There is not a uniform meaning and it does not tell you everything about the person who claims it.

What is important to understand about Conservatives is the context in which they call themselves a Conservative. It is important to ask yourself: What are they trying to conserve? To what are they committed? These are important questions one could ask to understand what positions the self-identified conservative holds.

In my case, I am a Christian, an American and a Conservative. In the American sense, I seek to uphold and preserve principles and ideals fought for and won in the American Revolution. This means that my commitments in present-day society are to uphold and preserve the classically liberal society won for Americans through that revolutionary war. For example, I support individual rights, human equality, separation of powers, and representational government. These are some values that make me uniquely American in my Conservatism.

However, my beliefs run much deeper than these political beliefs, and I recognize the value of other forms of government.

This is because underneath my personal American commitments is a deeper set of beliefs the embrace of which orient me in a certain way in the world. I have to say that the beliefs I have acquired along my personal experience with Christianity are the most powerful, and perhaps we can get into those. 

Five General Beliefs Of Conservatives

However, before we tap this well, there are other views that mainly American and perhaps even British Conservatives hold that mark out the species of Conservative more than other points of philosophical worldview. Here they are in a short summary. These beliefs are what many Conservatives generally believe that give them a Conservative temperament. See if these can’t help explain more of what is behind the meaning of Conservatism. They are:
 

1. Belief in an abiding moral order that is good for man. Is it ever justifiable to rape someone? I believe the answer is strongly no. This suggest that there is a moral order to life that must be preserved. Without it man will be unhappy. Conservatives believe in a timeless morality that is for all places at all times and important for men. 

2. Preference for the organic over the artificial, the concrete over the abstract. Conservatives find the most meaning in those social connections that seem to mean the most for man’s well being, such as their natural family, their church and perhaps even lastly the state. These make the most sense for human relationships and come first for Conservatives. Rather than seeing themselves first as individual consumers or global citizens, Conservatives prefer communities closest to themselves, that make the most natural sense, and they distrust high-minded theories over every day practical wisdom that has lasted over time. 

3. Belief in man’s imperfectability. Have you ever seen someone you know or a family member just go berserk? I mean, for some reason they just snap, lose their temper or betray your trust? Conservatives would say that man is flawed and can never reach perfection. They would say that human nature is susceptible to corruption, and especially so under the influence of power. Therefore, Conservatives prefer to decentralize power in order to protect themselves and their communities against the instabilities and unpredictable behavior in human nature. They are opposed to dictators. 

4. Belief in private property. Conservatives see the independence and security that comes from private ownership of property as essential and helpful for the individual to have the emotional security that allows him to take his place in the world. For example, if you have ever had difficulty paying rent, then you know the threat of losing your material stability can be emotionally destabilizing. Conservatives seek the emotional and material that comes with private ownership of property. 

5. Belief in self-government through human institutions. As someone once said, “Government can’t love.” Conservatives recognize that natural human institutions such as the family and the church can do a better job of shaping human behavior and preserving a whole society than the sword of the state can. This means Conservatives will see the influence of church, family and volunteer groups as essential to upholding a free, self-governing society.

These five tenants—belief in a moral order, preference for the organic over artificial, belief in man’s imperfectability, belief in private property and support for human institutions—are a good way to gauge what generally makes a Conservative a Conservative. When I say that I would like you to be a Conservative, these are the things I would like you to consider. 

A Word About Christianity

Lastly, I will say that behind all of the wisdom of the ages that Conservatives seek to hold, for me, is something far more enduring and important to me, and it is my experience and commitment to Christianity. For the record, I do not believe that man can build a successful society solely based upon the tenants I described above. I believe that the individual human person is a good map of what society can be at large, and that at the center of the human person is his need for redemption. He is not whole and this is because of his relationship to God and his own rebellion, frankly. 

This is not what I seek to push on you, but I think it is important to understand that I believe –in my own brand of Conservatism, per se—that Christianity has a transformative effect upon individuals and through the message of God’s forgiveness and the historical resurrection of Jesus Christ its spread and influence is necessary for the renewal of our communities and society.

In my commitments, I seek to present belief a moral order and adherence to moral commitments that make sense with a future Day of Judgement, on which, Christians maintain, God will punish evildoers for their evil deeds—and this includes the secret choices of our hearts. Knowing that this day is coming and seeing the reliability of Jesus Christ’s historical resurrection, I believe it is rational to seek to live a life that makes sense in light of a coming day of reckoning.

It is with a view to these things that I seek to implore students and young people through this blog to live uprightly before the coming Day of Judgement. That’s the best way I know to say it. I don’t plan to be quoting scripture or teaching out of the Bible, but my effort with this blog will be an attempt to make an intellectual case that moral living is supreme and important and necessary for man. It is a big part man experience of redemption.

It is these things that make me a Conservative. I hope that you will consider these things and, in the end, decide to become one, too.