Conservative Liberal

Yesterday, I was chatting to Jordan on chatango (in my blog’s right column), and as one subject led to another, I joked about how I was somewhat of a conservative liberal.

Now, it may seem funny, weird and contradictory as the way those two words are defined politically makes them opposites.

Some of the definitions of Liberal are:

1. Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas.
2. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.
3. One who favors greater freedom in political or religious matters; an opponent of the established systems; a reformer.

And some of the definitions of Conservative are:

1. Favoring traditional views and values; tending to oppose change.
2. One who desires to maintain existing institutions and customs; also, one who holds moderate opinions in politics; — opposed to revolutionary or radical.
3. Resistant to change, opposed to liberal reforms.

So, they are pretty much very opposite to each other.

But, when I try to classify myself, I can only say that I’m a liberal with a moderately conservative edge.

How is that?
Well, I’m pretty much a liberal in everything. I hate limiting myself by man-established views and traditions. I’m strongly for reform, new ideas, progress. I like to think of myself as broad-minded and tolerant of the ideas of others.
I’m totally for more freedom and reform in the political and religious matters.

But I do believe in some basic limits that need to be respected because they maintain the basic rules and order that a healthy society builds upon.
I’m talking here about the basic rules for human rights, the basic rules for human interaction and conduct as defined by religion, the basic concepts of respect and love.

As for traditions and moral issues, these differ from culture to culture, from region to region, from belief to belief, from family to family even.
And unless these traditions or moral beliefs are based on any of the basic rules I mentioned previously, I think they can be ignored if needed and must not be limiting.