It seems to me that there are two types of conservatism. One type (I’ll call it destructive conservatism) is worried about change because of a desire for control, and that isn’t very compelling to others. When I view life from that negative angle, I win in the short term by sticking my heals in the mud.
The other type (constructive conservatism) is from the angle of dispositional gratitude. As in, I really don’t deserve all things great things that I’ve received that I haven’t had to work for! Of course I wouldn’t want to give up this incredible gift, who would?! To trade a GOOD for a worse?! Who does that?! When I am in this mode, I win in the short term and long term and, no doubt, my dispositional gratitude rubs off on others and actually improves society’s chances of not making dumb, hurtful trades.
Having dispositional gratitude also allows me to distinguish between the really great stuff from the past that I’ve been given, and past stuff (stuff that isn’t actually that good, just comfortable and familiar so that we save energy and stay in control.)
In other words, all the stuff we’ve been given by people in the past is not of equal value. Calling myself a conservative isn’t enough. Hm, I wonder if we could also discuss two types of liberalism. I’ll do that down below.
So a constructive conservative comes from the place of dispositional gratitude. Here are some examples: Thank you, previous church generation, for having the standard that women grow their hair long and arrange it about their head in a non-showy fashion. That is a great thing that we received and I am better off today because of it! Thank you, American fathers, for reading the Bible and the philosophers, and spending so many agonizing hours discussing the writing of the Constitution. I am so much better off because the Constitution was well-written. Thank you, dad and mom, for sacrificing your desires and turning the picking and selling of sweetcorn into a family operation. I am so much better off because of that effort!
If I can’t really say that I’m ‘so much better because of it’ about some past practice, I need to be very careful in defending its continuance. Defending its continuance might be harmful, as in ‘ok’ or status quo being the enemy of ‘great.’
Now, I hadn’t thought to give similar attention to liberalism, but are there two types of that as well? Constructive liberalism and destructive? Since I haven’t thought about this the least bit, I’m not going to write anything, just ask the question…what are the characteristics of the two?
So, professor, what did we learn?
True conservatism isn’t about guarding every old rock—it’s about cherishing the actual jewels and having the wisdom to know the difference.
Not every old routine deserves a shrine,
Nor every habit built in yesterday;
To call it good because it bears the sign
Of ancient dust is but a foolish way.
We ask of every gift the fathers gave:
“Are we made better by the path they trod?”
Did sacrifice lay down a course to save,
Or bind us to a cold and heavy clod?
The sweetcorn field, the constitutional pen,
The modest grace that marks a quiet life—
These are the jewels passed from godly men
To shelter children from a world of strife.