Labels, while useful and necessary, must be dissociated from at times in order to introspect on one’s personal philosophy.
I have called myself both a liberal and conservative, never fully adhering or falling for one binary in particular. In general, conservatism is an outgrowth of something I deeply believe to be true; that is, we are all born severely dependent, insufficient in more ways than not, and the fruits of civilization are only savored when the individuals therein can consistently grow to fully realize and embody the values their society is seeking to protect.
We are not born with innate human rights on an actual level. Even divine rights are not adhered by the ignorant man, and so such ‘rights’ are only recognized to the extent that we as a society collectively agree upon and embody them (through law, institutions, social forces, etc.) We know that there is no perfect blueprint for society and accept governance as the lesser of ultimately infinite evils.
Without this perpetual recognition, humans left to their own devices naturally devolve to transgress these “rights” of others, and will develop cruel systems affront to the well-being of man.
Most malicious activity we observe within the political “elite” arises from incentive structures as opposed to malicious and cooperative scheming. Individuals within this class will continue to act out of self-preservation, however maintaining this status usually requires betrayal of previously held values or principles. And so, those people entering positions of significant power with a ‘mandate,’ even if honestly intentioned, will begin to inhabit their new ecosystem and old values will adapt, mold toward the new incentive structure. This is the trap of the anointed.
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