My values.

I talk a lot about the things I oppose. Sometimes I worry that it sounds like my whole motivation is contempt. But my primary motivation isn't that. I don't talk a lot about the things I love and care about that motivate me to fight for my values.

Well, I care about my family. And I care about freedom of expression, and a world where people can accomplish anything if they work hard enough. I value innovation, I like seeing new and creative solutions to problems. I want childr...en to grow up in families with two parents that love them, so they can grow up to be healthy and happy. And I want communities to be safe for children, for adults, for everyone.

Being conservative isn't easy, because everyone thinks it's the cruel, selfish, bigoted way to be. Liberals don't understand that the compassionate-sounding ideas they promote just aren't good for people or society in the long-run. They're so focused on the tone that they miss the content. The thing about being conservative is that you always have to tell people what they don't want to hear... that the world isn't perfect, you can't trust everyone, human nature is flawed, and we can't afford to take care of everyone. You have to tell them that the government can't always be trusted, that you have to take responsibility for your actions, and basically that there are limits in life.

It's not what people want to hear. They would rather have a world where everyone is equal, everyone can get along, and there's enough resources for everyone, and where everyone wants the best for everyone else and can be trusted. Those are the kind of dreams the young have always had. It's why children often resent their elders and think they're trying to spoil their fun rather than passing on hard-won knowledge. It's not easy to be the person that tells people how the world really is, and what it takes to actually do good in it. That people are different from each other and have different strengths and weaknesses. That people have different values, and the differences aren't always reconcilable. That you can't necessarily trust everyone.

Every generation has to relearn this lesson from scratch, because they always believe it's a conspiracy by their elders to prevent happiness... they never realize that the habits of past generations, cynical and harsh as they may seem, are there to help people, not to hurt them. It's just that what reality actually offers isn't always as rich or perfect as what you imagined in your dreams. And the ideas that sound compassionate and feel good sometimes bring about the worst results.