On the train in Mongolia, heading out to the base camp where I was to spend the next 3 weeks, I shared a compartment with three other ladies who got to talking politics.
Now politics really isn’t my thing, so I just sat there listening and watching the scenery go by. They got onto the subject of Liberal –vs- Conservative and what type of person would be most likely to join in on an Earthwatch expedition.
At that point, Mary (a retired nurse from Homer, Alaska) noticed that I was not participating in the conversation, so turned to me and said, “What do you think? Would a liberal person be more likely to join Earthwatch, or would a Conservative person be more likely?”
I replied, “Define Liberal.”
And they all immediately started saying things like, “Oh, she’s so right!” and “Exactly!” Or “That is so deep.” and again got lost in their conversations.
Meanwhile I’m sitting in my little corner thinking to myself, “Damn. I still don’t know what Liberal means…”
When you find out, let me know!
ReplyDeleteRuth, you are so right! hehehe I suppose you could go with the old definition of liberal and it will pretty much still stand, but things are changing and people are hopping onto the other side of the fence a lot now. Suddenly views which were only shared with one side are not shared on both. I don't know if this will last until after the elections or ever after, but it can be a little refreshing or threatening. Whichever you prefer.
ReplyDelete...the Oxford Universal Dictionary on historical principles goes back to the origin of the word "libertas..." liberty...freedom...free...
ReplyDeleteThe 1962 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica has more than a dozen entries for the word "liberal"...can bloggers do better than that?