It may be hard to *seem* genuine when I am smiling at the arc of the universe continuing to bend toward justice, but I do stop for a moment to reflect on how hard it is for conservative people when their beliefs and sense of right and wrong is challenged as it has been these past few days.
I am not referring to people who think nine people should have died in Charleston, instead people of good faith who are not full of hate, and have a conservative view of what is fair and just.
Over the long narrative of history, conservatives have stood up for what they believe, and every time, they have been bulldozed by history. While I am open to being educated otherwise, it seems that conservatives have lost *every* fight – American independence, slavery, women’s suffrage, child labor laws, Social Security, Medicare, civil rights, Clean Air Act, and now, marriage equality.
I am sure there is a benefit from having different views and to have someone to question change. There are people who benefit from things as they are, so they take position against change that is not an advantage for them. But most people who are conservative take those positions due to deep emotional ties. So I do feel for all the people who struggle with their conservative views and the resulting feeling that the world is going awry.
Progress is what happens, and it will happen. Progress causes all sorts of pain. Typists and coal deliverers have lost their jobs. Livery stables and telegraph offices have closed. These changes are necessary, and the pain unavoidable. Can people who are conservative avoid the pain of progress? Only at the possibly greater cost of letting go of their beliefs.