By Aaron McGuire

There are a lot of different definitions of the word “conservative.” I agree with some of them. I disagree with many more. In this writer’s view, though, real conservatism is a philosophy best encapsulated in two key words. Responsibility and restraint.

Conservatism means a government that takes its responsibility to preserve the individual liberties of its citizens as a sacred vow, not an empty promise. A government that understands that, truly, its own value is in the freedom it gives its citizens.

Conservatism means a government committed to fiscal restraint, a government that recognizes its responsibility to tomorrow’s citizens to keep a reasonable, balanced budget. A government that understands that the freedom of the checkbook is – while perhaps not as well-defended by its citizens as freedom of speech and freedom of expression – as essential to a free and productive society as the air we breathe.

Conservatism means a government that sees itself not as the leader of its people, but as the servant of its citizens. A government that understands and sees the truth in Mark Twain’s famous quote; “the government is merely a servant — merely a temporary servant; it cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong, and decide who is a patriot and who isn’t. Its function is to obey orders, not originate them.”

Conservatism is a government free of tyranny – neither that of the majority nor that of the minority. A conservative government acts in the face of pressing need, and not a moment sooner. A government that practices restraint chiefly and action judiciously, one that allows neither undue favor nor an injustice of disfavor.

And while these all hold in the broad political sense, on the individual level, conservatives should understand themselves the personal value of these two concepts. A conservative shouldn’t expect others to do that which they’ve agreed to do – a conservative should know their responsibilities, and attend to them with the utmost care. A conservative should avoid preaching governmental fiscal restraint if they can’t restrain their own checkbook – hypocrisy is a dangerous road.

Conservatives should as well take note that as citizens of the United States of America, there’s a certain responsibility we share to our country. Though it is oftentimes difficult, it is the responsibility of a citizen to recognize that it’s possible to appreciate what we have while disagreeing with the people who run the institution. Far be it from us to back down on our principles. In fact, we do have a responsibility to speak out against that with which we disagree. But disagreement does not necessitate boorishness, or rude, childish outbursts. And though we disagree, a conservative should realize that the goal – a better tomorrow – isn’t a controversial one.

We may disagree with progressives and centrists all we want. We all know that policy disagreements are the mother’s milk of a healthy democracy. But it does a stark injustice to our philosophy to disrespect our debating partners. We all want what’s best for society – disagreements can be had in good faith, and in our culture of personal restraint, we should aspire to do so.

Will a government of this nature – or a person of perfect conservative form – ever exist? I doubt it. Conservatism, to me, is an ideal. It’s a faraway concept, one of a perfect unity of ordinarily disparate concepts. But, much as we can’t truly use infinity in our mathematical computations, sometimes the limit approaching your ideal is just as good as the ideal itself.

And in my view, it’s always good to have something to work towards.