Discipline: why conservatives run the world:
I had an "Aha!" moment today. That's when I look at what just happened, connections fall in place, and I say, "Aha! That's why the world is the way it is."
I'm organizing peace vigils. For the last couple of months, every Sunday at 1 pm, we meet at a certain parking lot, and walk along a busy street, carrying signs saying "War is not the answer", "Patriot for Peace". Up till now, the weather has been gorgeous, cool and breezy and sunny spring-time, perfect for walking outside.
Today, it rained. And nobody showed up. Not one person.
Aha. That's why the Authoritarians, the Militarists, the conservatives run the world, and liberals don't. That's why Confucians win over Daoists. That's why Hindus win over Buddhists. That's why there are more Mormons than Quakers, and more Southern Baptists than Unitarians. Authoritarians show up when it rains, and we don't. They have discipline, and we don't.
Conservative organizations work steadily for their longterm goals. They don't give up, even if it takes decades. They take heart from incremental victories, moving things a little bit toward their position. They don't get discouraged, when they fail to ban abortion. Instead, they just keep working away at their agenda, seeking by every method possible to find ways to limit abortions. They never give up their longterm goal of totally banning all abortion, but they concentrate for the moment, on specific tangible shortterm goals. And if they fail to reach those immediate goals, they just try something else. They never give up, and they never forget. They are relentless, and committed.
Conservatives don't compromise, don't try to see the other guy's point of view, and are never satisfied with partial victories. They see things as a struggle between absolute Good and Evil. For them, life is a war, and they aim to win. Liberals, on the other hand, are habitually ready to listen compassionately, compromise, try to make everyone happy, acknowledge that conservatives are good people with some good ideas. Liberals meet conservatives half-way; conservatives pocket those gains, and relentlessly push for total victory.
Conservatives habitually enforce discipline, in all their organizations. They have clear chains of command, and leaders who are obeyed. The leaders are not shy about telling their followers, "You need to pull in harness with everyone else, show up and do what the organization needs you to do. If you can't do that, go home and quit wasting our time."
Conservatives get up in the morning, look out the window at the rain, and say, "I don't feel like going out, but I said I would, it's the right thing to do, so I will." Liberals say, "It wouldn't be an enriching experience for me to go out in the rain. Maybe next week. Today, I feel like having a glass of wine, and relaxing in the hot tub with my friends." So the liberals sit in their hot tubs, talking about how evil the world is, while the conservatives are out in the streets (and the churches, and the boardrooms, and the schools), changing the world.
Perhaps the phrase "disciplined progressive" is a contradiction in terms. If that's true, we will never achieve a peaceful world. We might as well sink deeper in our hot tubs, and have another glass of wine. |
