I think those who have grown up embracing classical liberal values are finding it increasingly difficult to continue identifying with the left given how Neo-McCarthyist (to borrow a stellar term from ’s latest must-read: cliftonduncan.substack.…) it has become.
Detailing my own political trajectory, I recently shared (margaretannaalice.subst…):
“I used to call myself a progressive because I was anti-authoritarian, anti-war, anti-corporation, countercultural, tolerant of diverse viewpoints, pro-truth, pro–freedom of speech, pro–freedom of choice, pro-justice, and pro-equality for all.
“I stopped calling myself a progressive because I am anti-authoritarian, anti-war, anti-corporation, countercultural, tolerant of diverse viewpoints, pro-truth, pro–freedom of speech, pro–freedom of choice, pro-justice, and pro-equality for all.”
As I wrote to my fellow colleagues:
“The left/right paradigm is virtually meaningless now and is only used by the propagandists and their puppeteers to divide, sow hatred, and create in-group/out-group bias. TPTB want to divide the people and keep us busy fighting each other instead of them. Right now, all that matters in my mind is are you pro-freedom or pro-tyranny.… I no longer judge by party but by individual politicians’ values, words, and actions.”
Letting go of my attachment to the left—or any faction—was the most liberating act of my life:
“Shedding my own labels peeled away the cognitive biases that had inhibited my ability to appreciate the perspectives of those outside my in-group, and it helped me see through the lies told to keep my in-group enslaved to an ideology that served the rulers rather than the people.”
Instead, I am guided by my core values, which I also outline in that essay. My list is pretty long but at its essence can be distilled down to the following five dialectics:
anti-tyranny | pro-liberty
anti-fear | pro-courage
anti-hatred | pro-love
anti-illusion | pro-reality
anti-destruction | pro-creation
Because I am not affiliated with any tribe, no political party, politician, or agenda-driven entity is influencing my positions.
Most people sleepwalk through life programmed with unexamined beliefs. I encourage people to map out their core values and then perform cognitive autophagy to sweep away the debris that doesn’t align with those values.
