There are so many bullheaded and stubborn people holding political office in the United States it's distressing. But in reality, being bullheaded is exactly the type of mindset one needs in order to succeed in such a business where competition is savage and one's reviews (elections) determine not whether one receives a raise, but rather whether one keeps his job. The very nature of politics attracts people with very strong, and oft-times single-minded, perspectives on governmental operation (and of the universe, in general).
This is not to say, however, that a politician should be closed-minded. A closed mind is a person's most powerful inner demon, because it restricts one from intellectual growth. With a closed mind, a person can become passionless, and thus not reach their full potential. They will, in effect, become less human.
If new ideas are not injected into the political system to proliferate at a constant rate, there will be no way to improve as a society. Improvements for the population is principal ideal upon which the US was founded, “in order to form a more perfect union.” It seems there are times when this is forgotten in today’s era of partisan internet forums and 24-hour network news. Elected officials should be constantly studying the latest innovative political ideas from around the world in order to identify what they can adapt to use for the public’s benefit.
Closed-minded congressmen (and people) have one fundamental fear in common that they fear more than even death. What close-minded people fear the most is being proved incorrect. Closed-minded people refuse to see the value in ideas that are obviously superior because they simply refuse to believe that they could be wrong. They have blinders on to protect their egos. These closed-minded people refuse to believe they are fallible, and that is the real tragedy. Politicians have become out of touch with the populace they have sworn to serve. The fundamental truth behind the libertarian ideology is accepting the fact that humans are prone to making errors.
The libertarian accepts and embraces this fact and allows for a multitude of new ideas and ideologies. The merit of new ideas is judged solely on effectiveness. "Is this tax effective at improving the lives of the American citizen? If so, keep it. If not, let’s try something else."
This short paraphrase speaks to the core open-mindedness of the libertarian political philosophy. The libertarian is constantly seeking to improve his lot by embracing the best ideas humans have dug up over the centuries.
Competition, in general, is a good idea. Which rival system of government has survived the test of time, socialism or capitalism? Well, judging by the competition between the two that has taken place over the last 50+ years after WWII, there is a general consensus that capitalism took socialism out to the backyard and kicked the snot out of it. The Berlin Wall was the snot.
Only by direct competition can two opposing forces be compared accurately. It is competition, too, that drives the American economy. Products are constantly battling each other for the title of Most Effective. The more effective the product is compared to its competitor, the more money it will make. This includes services, goods and even music. Sometimes a compelling song is much more effective and enjoyable than standard prose. That’s why we teach kids to sing to learn the ABCs, as it's more effective than just making them memorize it letter-by-letter. American politicians should embrace new ideas and perspectives with the same passion they normally save only for partisan matters. It will be more effective for the citizens.
The above work is the opinion of the author,
and not necessarily that of the Prometheus Institute.
