Defining ‘liberal’ from the mouth of babes

Reading those definitions made me proud to be described as ‘liberal’ but also made me wonder why people who are identified as liberal are so vilified. Aren’t open-mindedness and generosity admirable traits? Shouldn’t we all strive to be more open-minded and generous?

Open-mindedness leads to less judgment. Less judgment leads to fewer barriers to accepting differences, which, in turn, results in more cooperation and forward progress.

More generosity would lead to greater feelings of good will. Psychological studies have shown that generosity tends to reduce stress, enhance the sense of one’s purpose in life and fight feelings of depression. Another substantial benefit of generosity is that it has been shown to increase a person’s lifespan. Think back to an incident in which you were truly, unselfishly generous. How did that make you feel? I’m going to bet it made you feel good, in a hard-to-describe way.

When I graduated from college in 1990 with a brand-new Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications, I thought I had my life all planned out. I was going to get a job working in the creative department of an advertising agency. (Think Darren Stevens on “Bewitched.”)

Unfortunately, that dream quickly fizzled out when I was unable to find work in that arena. With student loans that would soon become due, I had to do something. I went to the university’s placement office for assistance. After describing my dilemma, I was asked what else I might enjoy, besides advertising. Without a thought, I answered, “I like helping people.” Just like that, a career in social services was born and I never used my Mass Communications degree.

I worked in the field of social services for over 30 years. I never got rich in a monetary sense, like Darren Stevens did, but I consider myself rich in the human experience. I was able to lift people who were less fortunate than me to a better place in life on countless occasions. I met people from different walks of life, people who had lived different experiences than me, people who had different ideologies than me. But none of those differences mattered. Skin color, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation; none of that mattered. These people needed help and I could offer them that. Helping other people has always fed something deep inside me.

At what stage in life does a person become “liberal?” In my experience, a person is born that way. I’ll tell you a story.

When my daughter was 5 and in kindergarten, we were shopping in the mall one weekend, and she saw a fleece jacket that she fell in love with. It was a black and red 101 Dalmatians Disney jacket. The jacket was expensive, and I hesitated but when I saw how much she loved it, I splurged and bought it. She could not wait to wear the new jacket to school.

The following Monday, my daughter proudly set out for school in her new jacket. When she got home from school that afternoon, I immediately noticed she was not wearing the jacket. I asked her if she left it at school. My daughter told me that a little girl in her class didn’t have a jacket and was cold on the playground, so she gave it to her. I reminded her how much she loved that jacket. Her response to me was to say, “I know, Mommy, but she loved it, too, and I have other jackets. She doesn’t.”

At only 5, my daughter met the definition of being “liberal.” Imagine what this world would be like if we all applied the word “liberal” as it is defined.

Vicki Horn is a retired social services worker and a lifelong Democrat. She has two adult children and resides in Murfreesboro.