To Effect Change, You Must Lose

I've had a number of debates over the last few months with friends, most of whom are conservative and Republican leaning. I’ve had less debates with liberals, though still a few. In most cases, I’ve tried to get people to think more about their choices in this election year. I don’t really care about whether you choose to vote for Obama, or Romney, though I’d like you to think about why, and think about Gary Johnson and other Libertarians in the various election contests. I firmly believe that a Libertarian leaning government will do us all much better in the future.

If you’re worried, know this. We won’t get a strict Libertarian set of laws and framework. It’s an ideal, and we have lots of baggage to deal with in terms of social security, defense, wars, EPA, FDA, OSHA, and more. I think having some people that actual stand for individual freedoms and rights will help us steer in the right direction.

However making a change to a more Libertarian view means standing up for those views. It also means losing this election, and the next, and maybe the next 10. But it also means standing up for what you believe in and want to see happen in the future.

Standing up for what you believe means doing so even if you lose. People stood up to unfair taxation and representation in this country, and for a long time lost. People stood up to slavery for a long time and lost. People stood up for women to be allowed the right to vote and lost. People stood up against segregation and lost.

Until they won.

Vote for whomever you choose, but if you choose someone just so you win, or just to try and ensure someone else loses, I’m not sure you’re really standing up for what you believe.