Does Leftism preclude happiness?
Study after study shows that conservatives tend to be happier than Leftists. According to a study in the Elsevier Journal of Research in Personality, the happiness gap is caused by conservatives expressing more personal control, more responsibility, a more positive outlook on life, and more transcendent moral beliefs. Another study in the journal of Social Psychology and Personality Science showed that conservatives are happier because they showed more life satisfaction and purpose.
This is evident in everyday life. Of course, there are too many examples from which to choose, from digging up Kevin Hart’s old tweets to rioting when a conservative speaker visits a college campus, but a prime example of Leftist unhappiness or outrage is the collective reaction to the election of Donald Trump. To this day, they continue to spread delusional lies about how Trump stole the election by somehow colluding with the Russians. The Women’s March featured Madonna, who publicly threatened to “blow up the White House.” CNN has turned from a left-of-center network into a constant Trump-hating fest, from considering not airing the President’s address to the nation last week to running a story on how many scoops of ice cream he ordered.
Contrast this to the demeanor of the conservative Tea Party movement during Barack Obama’s presidency. The Tea Party, while obviously strongly opposing Obama and his progressive agenda, protested peacefully and cleaned up the areas where they rallied. They implemented as much change as they could by going to the ballot box and causing Obama’s party to end up with the most electoral losses in a century. The idea of reacting in the same manner as the Left has reacted wouldn’t have even crossed their minds.
But one has to wonder — why are conservatives happier than Leftists, even when faced with the same situation? The answer is that conservatives and Leftists view life in opposite ways.
In the words of Dr. Jordan Peterson, life is all about suffering. Our goal is to make the most of our time on earth while dealing with our tough surroundings and circumstances. We choose what to make of our lives.
Conservatism is based on freedom and liberty. We don’t pick our life circumstances, but we are responsible for what we make of them. The conservative knows that humans have inherent, natural rights from God, making him or her inherently worthy and the master of his or her own life.
Leftism, on the other hand, is based on the notion of oppressor and victim groups. According to the Left, society is to blame for a person’s problems. Somehow — whether it’s through racism, sexism, or bigotry — society is oppressing you, and you need a savior (which is almost always the government). How can a person possibly be happy when he or she believes that they are a perpetual victim?
There are two choices a person can make — either take responsibility for your own life and make it the best life you can, or be a victim and blame whatever the world throws your way on racism, sexism, or fill-in-the-blank-aphobia.
The divide between the two worldviews comes down to this — own your own life or give your sovereignty over to someone else. Choosing the former will inevitably lead to a better, happier life.