PRINCIPLE #5: AN HONEST BELIEF IN SOMETHING LARGER THAN YOURSELF by T. Edwin Perry
If you haven’t read them yet, please check out the First Four of our Five Principles of Conservatism: PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, SMALLER GOVERNMENT, LOWER TAXES and GREATER LIBERTIES. If you have, then welcome to the Fifth installment of this series: An HONEST BELIEF in Something LARGER than YOURSELF!
Samuel Adams said, “He who is void of virtuous attachments in private life is, or very soon will be, void of all regard for his country. There is seldom an instance of a man guilty of betraying his country, who had not before lost the feeling of moral obligations in his private connections.” Our HONEST Beliefs form the foundations of our Morality and our Ethics, and, in many ways, define how we treat one another. For many Conservatives, the Honest Belief in Something Larger than Yourself qualifies as a belief in God, but not for all. I, personally, am not a religious person, but I do have an Honest Belief in Something Larger than Myself, and that is the fundamental GOOD of this Nation and its Foundations, and I’m not ashamed of it. I can be HONEST about my beliefs because I BELIEVE that they are the BEST option for securing peace and prosperity. I don’t keep my ultimate goals secret, but declare them for the world. I want to PRESERVE what our Founders intended for this Nation, and RESTORE those things that have been negatively influenced by those who disagree. I’m also HONEST about the fact that much of what constitutes the FOUNDATIONS of this Nation stem from the Judeo-Christian Beliefs of our Founders. I have no issues with the phrase “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. I have no problem whatsoever with the Ten Commandments being displayed in the Courthouse, not because I’m down with Moses, but because our FOUNDERS based our most Fundamental Laws on those Biblical Guidelines. Don’t Kill? Check! Don’t Steal? Gotcha. Don’t Lie? You Bet! And, sure, mistakes have been made along the way. Our History is riddled with violations of these Commandments. I’ve never once said that our Founders were Flawless, but Conservatives know that we, as a nation, have LEARNED from those mistakes, and that makes us STRONGER!
When someone has an Honest Belief, those around them know what to expect from them. As uncomfortable as it would be, I’d rather be in a room with an outspoken, misogynistic bigot, knowing exactly how they felt about me, than to be in a room with a “Politically Correct” bigot who was secretly plotting to kill me because of my beliefs. When you have an Honest Belief, you can have an HONEST DISCUSSION, and that’s what our Founders believed was most important.
Our Founders DID NOT all agree with one another. Some wanted to establish a Monarchy. Others wanted a loose Union of Independent States, similar to today’s European Union. Some argued to disband the individual states into a single Country without internal Borders. Fortunately for history, the Honest discussion and compromise led to the form of Representative Republic that our Founders succeeded in creating; however, had the debate not been HONEST from the beginning, the discussion would have simply devolved into Anarchy!
As a Conservative, I don’t expect everyone to share my beliefs. If you’re a Socialist, then be a Socialist, but be Honest about it. If you’re a Progressive, then be a Progressive…HONESTLY! If you’re an eco-friendly, hybrid-driving, global-warming-theory-believing, hemp-wearing, tree-hugging Liberal, then you hug that tree for all it’s worth! I can respect an HONEST belief, even if I don’t agree with it. But the key to all of it is HONESTY, and it’s something that our Politicians…on BOTH sides of the aisle…keep forgetting. Invariably, it’s the lies that catch up to them faster than their actions. As Benjamin Franklin said, “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.” After all, it was the lies that impeached Richard Nixon and nearly ousted Bill Clinton. “Honesty is the Best Policy,” as Franklin said. Honesty is the Key.
Conservatism requires that ALL FIVE of these Principles to act in concert. Take away Honest Belief, Smaller Government and Personal Responsibility, and you tend to get Progressivism. Take away Personal Responsibility and Smaller Government, and you get Liberalism. Take away Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and Greater Liberties, and you have Fascism. Being a Conservative is more than just a Political Outlook: It’s a LIFESTYLE choice! You can’t fake it. You can’t be a Conservative at election time and then leave all of the responsibility to the Government. It’s a full-time belief system. It’s a call to arms to remain ever vigilant to the dangers that exist to our way of life. After all…
“All Tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for People of Good Conscience to Remain Silent.” – Thomas Jefferson
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