When You Think About It

In light of the current political mania, with all of the ensuing discussions on social media (The New Water cooler), etc., I became curious as to what the actual definitions of Conservative and Liberal were - literally. So, of course, I looked them up using the dictionary app on my cell phone (see, I AM more technically savvy then I admit ! LOL). Here's what it gave me:

con-serv-a-tive
(k uhn - sur - vuh - tiv)

- adjective
1. in favor of preserving existing conditions
2. cautious
3. traditional

lib-er-al
(lib - er - uhl, lib -ruhl)

- adjective
1. favoring political reform and progressive government
2. tolerant
3. generous
4. not strict

I swear to you that I did not edit or alter these definitions in any way. I simply typed the words in and this is what was offered. Don't you think that the very MEANING of the words say so much? Reading these definitions, which one would you use to describe yourself? I know which one I would choose.

I've always wondered why liberals have allowed themselves to be bullied by conservatives by allowing the conservatives to use the the very word liberal as if the word itself was some type of INSULT. Well, after reading those definitions should one really be embarrassed to be called progressive, tolerant, and generous? In fact, when you think about it, who are the ones who really should be embarrassed? The answer is clearly defined.