I received this fine article from Al Terwelp of Overbrook, Kansas, and he agreed to let me publish it here.
Our nation is in crisis. It has become very difficult to see the right direction out of our predicament. We are overwhelmed with opinions, viewpoints, and expressions of good intention regarding solutions. I caution placing hopes and beliefs in these. We need to refrain from placing confidence in people and government as well. Opinions are based on our own selfish interests, bias and judgments, are weak, aimless and lead to confusion. Viewpoints often become more harmful to truth than lies. I believe we begin by choosing the message not its sponsor, then use understanding and courage to draw out a purpose that will reveal who we are, what we should be and where we need to go.
Purpose has, but is not restricted to, requirements, considerations, and reasons for which something will be done. Purpose is conviction combined with an unshakable belief that it is not only undoubted but has evidence and logic proving its truth. Truths that become the thought, motivation and destination of the truth seeker.
The purpose we need references the entire antecedent knowledge and experience of the human race with the understanding of causality, deductive reasoning, human action, subjective motivation and the guidance of divine inspiration. True purpose is a means and ends simultaneously (ex. economic freedom). It is found in its choosing, action, conduct and display of will. Purpose exists in the values and the rankings placed by the people. Resolution pursues principle and does not find success in compromise, favoritism, and conspiring alternative motives. It expects accountability and responsibility with the intent that all risk is real. However, the purpose we need would be most identifiable by how it works and travels in the same, constant, never-ending direction.
The pursuit I speak of is the redemption of the vision and ideology that was given us as an example by our country’s founding fathers with an objective to create maximum freedom for Americans in all applications. Our motivation needs to be one that guarantees choice, leverage, ownership, partnership, and opportunity for each person. This cause propagates the interests of people, not the expansion of and excessive dependence on government. It is a philosophy of individualism over egalitarianism and collective creeds (it does not choose to make all people equal or the same). Lastly, this ambition seeks the protection of the sacredness of personal property and the expansion of the essential human qualities — natural rights and self-determination.
The perception is that we the people are weak because so many remain apathetic and distracted and that government and their elitist cohorts are strong. However, this would be misleading, for through government’s many failures we witness truth of its weakness. With purposeful action and faith in the truth of liberty, we are fearless, we are strong, we have a point of compass. Purpose fortifies us in a spirit of resilience, satisfies our uneasiness and advances our resolve to struggle all the harder. The question we need to ask ourselves in our current struggle is not — will these economic times move us into a second great depression and for how long? It is — will we be a republic with free-will, free-markets, capitalism, privacy and human rights on the other side? So let us go about liberty’s work, for freedom acts. Let us not hope and wait for freedom’s redemption, let us pursue its purpose and plan for it.
Al Terwelp is an advocate of liberty and Austrian economics. He is a farm owner, arborist and an art director in advertising (yes, odd combination). He is a member of the Campaign for Liberty, member of North East Libertarian Party (LNEK) and new Spokesman of the Kansas Libertarian Party. He lives near Overbrook, KS with his wife and son.