How to Be a Happy Conservative

Too often conservatives are portrayed as miserable curmudgeons, parsimonious prudes and paranoid puritans.

My latest article for Intercollegiate Review explains how a conservative worldview can make you happy.

Being conservative helps us attain all four levels of happiness. A basic conservative principle is self-reliance. At the animal level, happiness is enhanced if the person earns his basic needs himself. Conservatives distrust handouts because they know that real happiness at the basic level is achieved as we work for our basic needs. The meal, the apartment, the drink, and the protection I earned is far sweeter than that which is just handed to me.

On the second level, conservative principles both encourage competition and control it. Competition in the economic and social aspects of life helps us achieve happiness, but too much ambition is destructive. Healthy competition is a cornerstone of conservative philosophy, but proper restraints, checks, and balances are also part of conservative philosophy. Conservatives do not apologize for making money and achieving success, but true conservatives realize that this level of happiness should lead to compassionate and active generosity.

Go here to read the whole article.