It’s campaign season, which means conservatives will try to paint Democrats as “liberals,” as if it were a dirty word. I, for one, am proud to be a liberal and believe we should stand up against these conservative smears.
One of the great fallacies in modern lore is that liberalism stands for nothing and liberals have no core beliefs. The right wing has impugned the left by unfairly portraying it as a valueless movement mired in moral relativism. This could not be further from the truth.
Indeed, the left is the backbone of freedom, the defender of personal liberty, the guarantor of free speech and religious worship and the nurturer of democratic movements across the globe. Far from believing in nothing, wherever liberal democratic values prevail, civilizations flourish and free people thrive.
The cornerstone of liberalism is the idea that each person is endowed with the precious gift of liberty and can freely choose his or her own path – for better or worse. We believe this is crucial to greater enlightenment, personal growth and ultimate fulfillment. It also offers the best opportunity for people to realize their dreams and achieve their spiritual promise.
Liberalism encourages exploration and education. It reveres science and celebrates the inquisitive mind. Indeed, liberal values are often superior to those held on the right, because they are tenaciously subjected to rigorous examination. Beliefs that are questioned and still prevail are the ones that stand the test of time.
