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It's a great time to be a libertarian.
Someone should study the sleeping habits of libertarians, because I bet they rest easier than conservatives and liberals. With clarity of thought comes, naturally enough, clarity of mind. War and corruption seem ever-present but the fighting libertarian keeps his optimism and can go to bed happy. Being a libertarian means never having to say you're sorry.
The history of civilization as a battle between individual autonomy and statist aggression shows we're winning. America's rising generation, the Millennials, are, wittingly or not, embracing the core libertarian tenets of self-ownership and the non-aggression principle.
Be it out of convenience or conviction, their libertarianism isn't likely to fade in the future.
Only under some delusion does "trying to find yourself" end in full satisfaction. Affixing abstract labels to a real person, even yourself, is never clean work. But that's what I'm setting out to do anyway. I'm a libertarian (as much as I can be) because that tradition of thought burns right through the others.
Libertarianism isn't weighed down by an instruction manual. It doesn't say to buy gold or to ransack city hall. It neither says to refrain from violence or to not steal. It simply recognizes individual liberty as the factory outlet where choice is made and action is taken. Not all libertarians share the same means or even the same ends, but they find common ground on the most important definitions in political philosophy.
The clarity that comes with seeing the world through a libertarian lens is rewarding on many levels. Contradictions aren't welcome. The government is not "us" and "we" are not the government. The government has no money or property that it does not take from the people. Sometimes a contradiction can be internalized, wrapped in gushy feelings so that it never falls under suspicion among the masses. But libertarianism reveals the harsh consequences of mystical collectivism, and soon the myths subside in the mind of a libertarian.
Libertarianism is a global force now as well. Even as the media hypes up the fascist and neo-nazi fits and starts across Europe, student libertarian groups are the ones building the future there and in Africa, South America, and Asia too. Decentralized and open source technology are accelerating the pace of the spread of these ideas no matter where life takes you.
I'm a libertarian because I am in favor of free trade and non-intervention. Conservatism and liberalism, in their final expression, are against those things. Practicing conservatism and liberalism in one's own life under a libertarian government will always be safer than the reverse.
As labels go, “libertarian” is a comfortable one to wear, but a lot to live up to. I hope I do.
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Excellent piece, this Libertarian Party grand-dad & frequent electoral candidate appreciates your clarity.
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