The Liberty Movement: What Now?

Ron Paul has officially dropped out of the race for those who live under a rock and/or are attending college for a ministry degree.
I was left unsurprised and shocked at the same time. Many of my libertarian brethren told me that there is still hope and that we should continue fighting for what we believe in. I was very cynical of those statements and I was seriously considering leaving political commentary altogether. People in this current American culture have willfuly shut their eyes to the great alternatives that this movement has offered. How can one find hope in it all?

These thoughts came to an end last night when my room mate gave me some ethnic food. He has come directly from Africa to study psychology and the Bible. He made this tasteless, mashed potato-like substance and put spicy shrimp-like sauce next to it. As I grabbed a nearby spoon, I saw him just take his fingers and grab it.
At first, I was taken by surprise. Then, I realized that I was judging by collective standards – standards in which most Americans judge. This culture tends to see people by the communities that they’re a part of and not by their individual uniqueness.
That’s when it hit me: this is what I stand for. The idea that no government or person has a right to tell you how to live your life and that your destiny was created for you alone is an idea that I love. It’s an idea that communicates freedom and security. It’s an idea that communicates that it’s okay to be a little weird by cultural standards.
I can go on and on with the “It’s an idea”-ities, but I think you understand my point.
Let’s face it: Gary Johnson will not win the election and he will not be another Ross Perot. However, we’re not about winning or having an overly-optimistic attitude. That philosophy is essentially a party view of both the Republicans and Democrats. What we’re really about is spreading the message of individual freedom and nonconformity in the face of cultural prejudices.
If we give up now, then we communicate that the ideals we’ve adopted aren’t worth fighting for – that we were just going through “phases”. The truth is that we can’t give up now. Our children and grandchildren will pay the price for our lack of action if we do.
Edmund Burke once said that the only way that evil can triumph is if good men do nothing. Good men can come from all political parties and persuasions. However, what we need now are people fighting to stop unnecessary wars and unnecessary state-interventions. History constantly tells us that bloated governments are often the cause of societal collapse.
It’s our duties as both freedom-lovers and true patriots to wake people up and help them realize that the evil tearing us apart is not something that can be ignored. We need action and we need courageous men and women to help society advance towards a more freer place.
We need to have the attitude that Patrick Henry had in the face of things America was going through. There is liberty and there is death. We must choose the former for the sake of America’s future and – more importantly – for our children’s future.

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