My most recent article in the Oregon Commentator is causing some people to be very angry. I find it amusing that mere words can stir up such strong emotions.
If I can move people with words like these, then imagine what I could do with words positively?
A traditional conservative walks into a room, and the lights are off. He/she turns the lights on him/herself and continues on.
A traditional liberal walks into a room, and the lights are off. He/she wonders why the lights aren’t on. He/she complains about the deprivation of light and how it is unfair and causes inequality. He/she goes to the government to complain about the lack of light in the room and pushes for legislation.
So I am being facetious. But having discovered true intellectual conservatism in college, I cannot help but marvel at the simplicity and commonsense of it.
I won’t be surprised if I elaborate on this one and turn it into a potential Commentator piece.
What is true conservatism? It isn’t about being religiously conservative, or about being socially conservative, which is what conservative gets labeled as these days. Conservatives also get a bad rap on being ignorant or self-righteous. But these aren’t even issues that define conservative or liberal.
Simply put, conservatism believes that you are your own person, and you are responsible for yourself. Personal responsibility and individual action are the most important. Merit outweighs privilege. You do not deserve anything, but must work to get what you want and need. Furthermore, you are free to do what you want as long as it does not infringe on another person’s freedoms.
Conservatives are all about rights. We love the Constitution of the United States of America and the freedoms that it outlined. However, any rights that we have, while arguably ‘God-given’ or inalienable, must be backed up by the immediate threat of force or defense. Thus an armed citizenry is imperative to maintain these rights. That is why conservatives are often painted as gun-toting shoot-em-up anti-government types. The simple fact is that is true! We love arms because it allows personal protection. Bearing of arms requires personal responsibility, for when we decide to wield those weapons and possibly use them, we are accepting a responsibility far greater than one person. We are undertaking the responsibility of protecting a society and defending the freedoms of ourselves and our fellow citizens. Moreover, it allows individual action by giving a powerful tool to our citizens. And most importantly, it gives us a means to protect ourselves from the tyranny of an overly powerful government, should that ever happen.
Some of it was really encouraging personally. I won’t lie, I like hearing compliments about myself. I’m working through a lot of issues when it comes to being ok with myself, not being so careful all the time, and being me more than anything. But every once in a while, it’s nice to hear something from the outside.
Above all, our talk reminded me why I was so attracted to writing for the Commentator in the first place. And it reminded me that having a strong sense of right and wrong, and sticking to one’s principles, isn’t a bad thing at all. In fact, the importance of maintain one’s principles is far grander than I ever imagined. Being new to journalism or public anything, I feel like it has been a great experience in learning how to see the world more critically and intelligently.
So, this kind of helped me out of the rut that I hit a few days ago. I’ve realized through these ups and downs, and from my discoveries during my introspective weekend (I didn’t just shop online!) that the path to greater confidence is not as short as I thought it might be, and that it is a constant struggle against oneself and the others that undermine oneself. And that even though strength has to ultimately come from within, it is not a solitary journey, and the support of friends and family is amazing.
When I’m down, it’s so easy for me to get sucked into my own sorrows, into my own ‘emoness’. I forget my number one rule: it’s all about perspective. In the moment, everything feels like it’ll be that way forever and ever, when in reality, each next day yields something different.
I was once afraid of speaking my mind for fear of being ’shot down’ or having my ideas rejected and shunned. I was never the best networker, and so by asserting a particular opinion, I knew that some of the fragile bridges I had built would be burned.
However, over the past couple of years, I have slowly figured out that being always passive and agreeable is a lose-lose, because I never was truly understood by others, and others would be puzzled when they found out one way or another that I actually did not agree with what was being done or said. I am loathe to give the military and ROTC so much credit, but I have definitely accentuated that quality through the experiences I’ve had in military leadership: Be assertive, be loud, and be confident.
When I wrote my article in the Daily Emerald about racism and discrimination, I was still afraid. But I submitted it regardless of that fear, which is something that I would not have done a year ago. I was surprised when it was actually featured in the newspaper, and prepared for the definite backlash that would be coming from the MCC’s direction.
Through what I wrote and the discourse that ensued that week, I may have lost some favor with certain people in the MCC and the student groups. In general, on campus, some agreed, and some disagreed, but the majority of people respected me for speaking up, regardless of their opinions. I thought that the ripples caused by the splash would end there, but the effects were far from over. After a week of battering from the opposition, after the guns of the MCC had quieted, voices of agreement started coming out of the woodwork. Various Senators gave me nods of approval, other people wrote similar articles, and the Oregon Commentator reached out. Above all, I know that my friends, and other people that know me personally, see me as a stronger person for speaking up.
There is absolutely nothing to lose in the long run by asserting one’s opinon.
