Conservative, Liberal, These Are Not Political Parties

All members of society attempt to define themselves morally and actively; it is our nature to create structure using rules, belief systems and by comparison to others. As ancient as the Greeks who made sense of their world using multiple Gods of Air, death, sky, water. Humans were complacent with these meanings, with their all-knowing God figures, as the control they could never have over the world around them, lay in the hands of deities who were far more qualified. By classifying oneself into a particular social group, consisting of those who appear to share some commonality, the deep rooted itch to ponder the unknown and differences apparent in everyday living is alleviated. There is nothing wrong with this inherent nature of human existence, and in the word's of God, whilst he created the first moments of time and universe, "It was good."

But, while we attempt to feel empowered identifying ourselves with groups that fall flat of any true resemblance to reality as it is, the world is divided amongst itself. Not just the world, specifically a country that should accept differences and realize their own commonality and responsibility to their country, government structure and the community in which they reside. While communities within a community create bonds and assist in the growth of a prosperous society, what makes it so hard to accept these differences? What makes one ideology, with all of its many members who are probably so vastly different and unsure of what their group stands for, a stone wall forbidding ideas and new perspectives from entering at will? As science progressed, we found that the earth is not the center of the universe and the planets rotated around a glorified star, polytheism dissipated and contradicting ideas flourished exponentially. Adam ate from the tree of knowledge, Eden left us with reality; we are not living in Eden.

Conservatism and Liberalism are not political parties, they are ideologies; members of these groups adopted universal stances on various issues. Political parties for example, exemplify one of the more accepted stances that self-proclaimed members take. Conservatives are Republicans, Liberals are democrats. And, while these political parties have issues that they are associated with and technically stand for, ideologies essentially do not.

To avoid my own rough interpretation, and possible criticism, I would like to quote some viable sources to explain the ideologies, philosophies of Conservatism and Liberalism.

"Conservatism is a political philosophy that necessitates a defense of established values or the status quo. The term derives from to conserve; from Latin conservare, 'to keep, guard, observe'. While not in itself an ideology, it is a political philosophy that is determined almost entirely by its context. Defined in part as an emphasis on tradition as a source of wisdom that goes beyond what can be demonstrated or even explicitly stated.
Samuel Francis defined authentic conservatism as "the survival and enhancement of a particular people and its institutionalized cultural expressions."[1] Roger Scruton calls it 'maintenance of the social ecology' and 'the politics of delay, the purpose of which is to maintain in being, for as long as possible, the life and health of a social organism.'" (Wikipedia)

"Liberalism is an ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political value.[1] Liberalism has its roots in the Western Enlightenment, but the term now encompasses a diversity of political thought.
Broadly speaking, contemporary liberalism emphasizes individual rights. It seeks a society characterized by freedom of thought for individuals, limitations on power, especially of government and religion, the rule of law, free public education, the free exchange of ideas, a market economy that supports relatively free private enterprise, and a transparent system of government in which the rights of all citizens are protected. [2] In modern society, liberals favor a liberal democracy with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law and an equal opportunity to succeed [3]" (Wikipedia)

As you can see, these views are based upon general belief systems and can apply different meanings to issues almost simultaneously. It is the ideology that creates division, yet the people who create change.

Bush sending our country to war is an act of the government and president, in retaliation to what they believed was a threat. It wasn't the fault of all conservative or republican supporters or "ideologies." It was not in spite of the "Libs" as they are called or the democratic parties' general uncertainty on the issue.

Abortion was not created because of a political philosophy, or in response to one. It happens because there are people, all types of people, who want to have a choice over the children that they bare in case of extraneous circumstances. Do people abuse this choice, killing innocent could-have-been children, when they could-have-been more careful when they conceived the child? Yes. Do women who feel they are cornered by the pressure of society, or by inability to care for a child, rape, molestation, die slowly inside with regret and guilt as their unborn child is deleted? Yes.

American men are dieing overseas, and it pains me inside to think about that; my close friends who are over there, while I go through day to day, mundane activities, they are risking their life for me, and this country. Do I blame Bush? Blame an entire "Political Philosophy" that is nothing more than a construct of human invention? Do I hold my head up proud, and while I, and the majority of America, probably know very little about the true politics of this war, defend it and believe there is reason behind this madness? It's personal, not political, and can't be based on ideologies, philosophies or parties.

In short, it is good to know where you stand on important issues, it shows integrity and intelligence. But, it is better to understand why someone else believes differently than you, and use that to examine what may not be a perfect set of beliefs. After all, we are humans, and more than that, we are all Americans.