I don’t know why many Americans on the
political left are embracing a system that has persistently failed throughout
history. They love to cradle this system
in words that sound warm and fuzzy and very appealing: cooperation, collective
effort, common ownership, and mutualism.
It reminds one of a quote often attributed to Albert Einstein: “Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and
expecting different results.” Why are
they convinced that they (modern progressives) can finally make this failed
system work? They are in a collective
stupor because they have overdosed on a drug called arrogance.
Their
movement is full of contradictions. They
vehemently oppose the western tradition of supporting “rugged individualism”
and wish for all to join the herd and allow the government to shepherd us
toward ‘greener’ pastures. The
independent ones who choose to paddle upstream rather than go with the flow are
ostracized and hated. However, they will
compromise their own collective principles if an individual or minority group
can bring political benefit to the progressives.
Thomas
Jefferson defended the rights of the individual in the Declaration of Independence. He diligently studied the great British
political philosopher John Locke. He
practically quoted Locke word for word in his original version of the
Declaration when he wrote that all individuals have a right to “Life, liberty
and the pursuit of property.” This comes
from John Locke’s writings on natural law.
Perhaps Jefferson was wishing to paint with a broader stroke when he
chose to edit Locke’s statement when he penned the words “Life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness.”
The
primary property John Locke was referring to was a man’s right to his own
person. “Though the Earth…be common to
all Men, yet every Man has a Property in his own Person. This no Body has any Right to but himself.” (First
Treatise on Government) Some of
Locke’s contemporary philosophers believed that property was created by the
state and therefore the state has sovereignty over the individual. (Hume, Hobbes and Rousseau) Modern progressives embrace the idea of
sovereign government over the natural rights of the individual.
The
modern anti-individualism movement is clearly on display in the left’s hatred
for guns. An individual in possession of
a gun expresses an independence that drives leftists nearly insane. The gun owner is expressing his individual
right to protect himself, not only from other individuals of ill intent but also
from a power mongering government. The
liberal senses an attitude in the “bitter clinger” that declares himself to be
owner and defender of his own self. The
gun control freaks are frosted when an individual refuses to call on and trust
a collective government to protect him.
Social
progressives detest women who find fulfillment in being wives and mothers. Liberal woman expect all female sheep to join
the cause and collectively and competitively wage war on male society. Feminists celebrate enthusiastically when a
woman chooses death through abortion.
They have a seething hatred for those who would choose individual
families over collective femininism. Women devoted to families are considered
weak and disgusting. The “right to life”
is selective and to be determined collectively rather than individually. While
shouting that all women have a right to their own bodies the feminist movement
actually promotes something entirely opposite.
Sheepish females who have chosen to submit to the alpha females of the
feminist movement must sacrifice their individual rights for the sake of the
common ‘good’ and their unborn babies must sacrifice their lives for the
collective goal of feminism.
Progressive
hate Christians and Jews because Judeo-Christian beliefs run contrary to
socialist beliefs. They try to transform
the Savior Jesus into some sort of social justice hero. But Jesus was no hater of children, he love
the little ones and warned those who would kill them or corrupt them that “it
would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around
their neck” (Luke 17:2) than to face the punishment stored up for those who destroy
their own children.
Stay-at-home
mothers or families that home school their children are hated by progressives. This kind of independent behavior runs
contrary to their teaching that “it takes a village” to rear children.
John
Locke’s understanding of property rights helps us understand the bitter hatred
of the left for those on the right who promote families, pro-life, gun
ownership and home schooling. Those who
are reared in families that believe in the right to protect individual
property, especially the right to protect one’s own body, represent the future
failure of socialism in America.
Jesus
taught a balance between individualism and collectivism. Eliminating one in an attempt to promote the
other will lead to chaotic failure.
Jesus asked his disciples as individuals to “take up their cross and
follow him.” Then he taught them “not to
forsake coming together in community.” I
believe we can be a part of a community without sacrificing our individual
rights.
Christians
must beware of devoting themselves too fully to a secular cause or idea. Oswald Chambers said, “A man that is devoted
to God is not devoted to a cause or to any particular issue; he is devoted to
God himself.” (My Utmost For His Highest,
p.123)
Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.
