(From the Persuasion PowerPoint section in Volume 19, No. 16 of the Liberator Online. Subscribe here!)

Successful martial arts schools nurture and protect their newest students. Their beginners.

They care for and help develop their beginners’ skills and discipline.

They protect them from far more experienced and skilled students.

Because if new, young students make progress, they will keep practicing and keep coming to the dojo.

And, if they are able to learn with, and train with, those with comparable skills and experience, they will become more and more confident — and they will stay with the program.

But if older students are allowed to bully and intimidate younger and weaker and less skilled students, the young students will drop out. And, if this happens often enough, over a long enough period… the number of students will stall and shrink. Finally, the school will close.

We have this same challenge in libertarian organizations.

We must nurture and protect our newest libertarians. Our beginners.

They will misapply libertarian ideas. They will say things that are not libertarian.

Because they have not read as many economics, history, and libertarian books as longtime experienced libertarians have read.

Because they haven’t been to two or four or more libertarian conferences — as more experienced libertarians have.

Because they haven’t discussed and debated the implications and applications of core libertarian concepts.

When they make mistakes — just like you and I did — we need to be caring teachers and mentors to them — while letting them learn and develop at their own pace.r,

They need our knowledge and guidance. We need their excitement about liberty — and hunger to learn more.

For the growth and development and progress of the movement for liberty.

* * * * * * * *
Michael Cloud’s latest book Unlocking More Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion is available exclusively from the Advocates, along with his acclaimed earlier book Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion.In 2000, Michael was honored with the Thomas Paine Award as the Most Persuasive Libertarian Communicator in America.