Sometimes, It Takes Time

This article was featured in our weekly newsletter, the Liberator Online. To receive it in your inbox, sign up here. “I NEED IT NOW!” – a line from one of JG Wentworth’s television commercials.

This is a terrific example of the instant gratification, limited attention, now, NOW, NOW! society we often find ourselves in. There is no time to plant a seed, nurture it,  and see it blossom if we completely succumb to that outlook. While we may deliver the “Aha! moment” in an instant, there are often those who take a bit more time to realize that they are libertarians. Today, a friend from high school posted on my Facebook wall something that lifted me up before my day really got going. He shared that after being friends for more than twenty years, he finally realized that he is a libertarian. While I hope that not everyone will take twenty years to realize it, there are many who are not quite ready to give up their authoritarian beliefs yet. And that’s OK! While it feels good to get to yes almost immediately, there are times where your time and effort are better spent in tiny pieces, guiding someone to libertarian ideas. After all, isn’t reaching the destination more important than how long it took to get there? Think about leaving a trail of crumbs for those who aren’t quite ready for their first full bite. Over the years Sharad and I have known one another, we’ve discussed how libertarian principles overlap with his already held beliefs with a bit of a challenge to look at things through a self-governing lens, rather than a “there ought to be a law” one. While friends, it took years for us to build the rapport necessary, politically, for him to consider a libertarian perspective. My focus pointed to areas of agreement on the desired outcome. Once we established that common ground, I challenged some of his beliefs by asking questions about who will make the best decisions to reach those outcomes. We dove into discussing the best path to reach our shared desired outcomes, as well as a bit of how the political and electoral processes work. The key, to me, is knowing when you can persuade to the point of “Aha!” quickly and when it will take time.