Living the Life of a Liberal Conservative

Can a conservative and a liberal peacefully cohabitate the same body? They certainly can; I am the living proof of it. Before anyone ruffles their feathers, let me explain.
I was raised in a conservative family, and my parents made sure we children understood our family had no tolerance for loose morals and teenage rebellion. Both my mother and father held a respectable place within the microcosm of their social circles, and were very clear about their views on life.
To them, honor, hard work, faith and respect were huge on their list of priorities.
Unbeknownst to me, their loving influence affected me more than I thought possible.
Like my parents, I also believe in solid morals and traditions, I am a fervid believer in the power of Spirit, and live my life according to the Golden Rule. These same values I try to impart to my children. In fact, I made a choice long ago to be a stay-at-home mom, to ensure that my kids would be raised by me, and would not be influenced by questionable views at such young ages. Thankfully, I married a great man who shares the same principals, so it has been fairly smooth sailing the whole twenty years we’ve been together.
Now, to the liberal part.
Although I hold on to traditions, and largely live my life according to the views that have been passed down to me, I can’t bury my head under the sand and pretend that everybody is as privileged as I have been.
I know there are people out there who have not had the vantage point of growing up in a solid home; I know there are people that have only experienced hardship in their lives, simply because they were born on the wrong side of the tracks, or in countries ravaged by war and famine. And I know there are people who do rely on others before they can pick themselves up after they have fallen.
Those people exist, so I feel that I have to keep my mind open and embrace the fact that if we hope to move forward within the process of human evolution, I have to be a part of accepting the beauty of diversity in the world. I believe wholeheartedly in self-responsibility, but I also believe in helping others out if they are in a position of not being able to help themselves.
I believe in protecting the defenseless, such as the very young and the elderly, and believe every existing creature has a right to live, whether we do or don’t deem it worth it within the scales of our societal beliefs.
I believe in preserving our environment, because we only have one earth; it’s a bit controversial to state we have strong family values, and then not realize that saving our earth is the very best gift we can give our children and the generations that will come next, as they will have a healthy, beautiful planet to live on. Saving our planet ensures the survival of our own genes.
I could go on and on, citing many examples, but I think everyone has pretty much gotten the picture. I am a conservative who’s liberal at the edges, with no need for extremes.
And thanks to that, I am enjoying the best of both worlds.