Whispering Wyrd

I saw a post someone recently did about why they are conservative. Some of it I understood, even if I disagreed. But most of it was openly hostile toward other human beings, especially LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, and anyone outside their version of Christianity. It made me think about why I hold the views I do.

So this is my own version, or response, of/to that post. Not to attack anyone and not to “win” an argument, but just to explain why I believe what I believe. I’m liberal because I know what suffering feels like.

Addiction taught me that life is complicated and that human beings can’t be reduced to simple labels, stereotypes, or political talking points. Recovery taught me compassion because I learned how badly people can hurt, how much shame they can carry, and how much healing can happen when someone is treated with dignity instead of condemnation and judgment.

I don’t care who someone loves. Truly, why should I? If two consenting adults love each other and treat each other with kindness and respect, I just can’t see how that makes them less worthy of dignity, safety, or happiness. LGBTQ+ people are human beings, not political issues. They deserve the same compassion and freedom anyone else does.

I believe the immigration system should be lawful, but also humane. This country was built by generation after generation of immigrants. That’s a fact. Wanting a system that is fair, functional, and accessible ain’t the same thing as wanting “open borders.” Most people coming here are not “invaders”. They are human beings looking for safety, work, opportunity, or a better life for their children. The exact same things countless families before them hoped for too.

I believe freedom of religion also means freedom from religion. The Constitution doesn’t establish Christianity as the official belief system of the United States. People should be free to worship however they choose, whether they are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Pagan, atheist, or whatever else. Real religious freedom means that no one particular faith gets to dominate everyone else.

I hear people complain about “big government,” but government is already enormous when it comes to surveillance, military spending, restricting rights, and controlling personal decisions. I would rather see energy and money spent helping people stay healthy, educated, housed, and able to vote than endlessly funding war while cutting healthcare, medical research, and social programs ordinary people rely on.

I’m liberal because I know empathy matters.

I believe healthcare shouldn’t be just for the rich. I believe workers deserve dignity and I believe science and education matter. I believe women should have bodily autonomy. I believe democracy depends on protecting voting rights instead of making voting harder. I believe diversity is not a threat, and I believe kindness is strength not a weakness.

Most of all, I believe fear and cruelty are making this world spiritually sick. That doesn’t mean I hate conservatives because I don’t. I know a few kind conservatives, including people I love. But I can’t support politics rooted in fear, exclusion, humiliation, or taking rights away from vulnerable people.

My spiritual path teaches me that every person carries Buddha-nature. Every person. My life experience taught me that every person carries pain too. Both of those truths has shaped my worldview. I don’t want a world built around domination and cruelty. I want a world built around compassion, dignity, truth, and care for one another. I’m not liberal because I hate anyone. I’m liberal because suffering changed me.

That’s why I’m liberal.

Amituofo
~Buck