Moderation in pursuit of Justice is a virtue?
I know I already put up a quote today, but I love this one:
I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!It's interesting though, I love this quote I guess because it's so in your face, but I no longer believe it.
You see, we have to moderate our political goals to reflect the culture and society we live in. If we impose something on the people they don't want or aren't ready, we're no better than dictators. As Otto von Bismarck reminds us "Politics is the art of the possible." If we seek to do the impossible, we will either fail or resort to force when people don't choose our desires. It's why utopian schemes such as Communism or Socialism turn into Fascism: the people (who are supposedly the beneficiaries of the proposed policies) resist the changes sought by the leaders and the leaders decide to force them into place. But just like forcing a puzzle piece where it doesn't belong, you screw up what you're working on and other seemingly unrelated areas as well.
A leader should propose reforms and changes to society or political system. But a good leader knows what his people will take and accept and will go no further.