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Liberty lovers can be some of the very best people I've ever known. They stand with others, help others when they can. They reach a hand to people they don't know- statists even. They can be loving and inclusive. They can be generous to a fault, understanding, and compassionate.
I am proud to count myself among them, even as I can't hope to be half as inspiring as some are.
But... and if you've been around long you knew this was coming... liberty lovers, or, at least those who proclaim themselves to be lovers of liberty, can also be as bad as the statists they oppose.
I'm sure there are times I would be included here.
They can be unforgiving, inflexible, hypocritical, hateful, and aggressive. They can be arrogant and dismissive.
And that is a shame.
Why would anyone want to learn more about liberty with examples like that? If you're going to be miserable anyway, you can do that just fine without rejecting statism; by taking the easier route.
I am happy to report that the negative examples in the liberty crowd are greatly outnumbered by the shining examples of goodness. But the nasty guys seem to have an impact greater than those I would rather people see. They tend to be loud and get lots of attention- especially by statists who want to show how unreasonable liberty lovers are. The bad examples play right into the hands of the cowardly slavers.
It should be so easy to be a good person when you understand and love liberty. After all, you are on the right side- standing against everything negative and harmful. So, why does it seem so easy to fall into The Dark Side?
Well, I have some idea about that, based on my personal experience. I am only human and as a liberty lover, I end up dealing with a lot of statists.
Statists are infuriating. They are cowardly and want to violate everyone else to coddle their fears. They don't listen to logic and reason, but are ruled purely by emotion and propaganda. They don't want to be told that 2+2=4. and they won't pay attention when you try to show them how easy it is to demonstrate. They don't like it, so to them it simply isn't true. Or it doesn't matter one way or the other. It is easy to get angry and frustrated over their juvenile behavior.
But, you and I are the better people. I can't speak for you, but I want to be the reasonable one. The one not baited into a fight with a feces-flinging monkey. Because, even if I win the fight, I'm going to be left feeling very unhappy.
Life is too short for that.
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