> Charles Darwin wrote, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” > For everything he was wrong about, he was surely right about this. Especially when it comes to political survival. > Conservatives have not yet adapted to this new cultural reality. Too many of us are playing by the old rules of decorum and agreeability. We don’t want to be uncomfortable, nor do we really wish to make others uncomfortable. We want to be left alone to live our lives, and to ignore people who live their lives in ways we might not appreciate (as they can ignore us). > That is no longer an option. The landscape has changed, and so must our maps. We are navigating a completely different kind of world than our grandparents and parents. We’ve let our agreeability push us out of nearly all of the most influential aspects of our society. When it is more publicly celebrated to have a “pride” flag in a second-grade classroom than an American flag, we have a problem. > It’s time for us to adapt to this new landscape. It’s no use lamenting the way things used to be. It’s time to accept the way things are and develop a strategy to wrestle back the culture. We can do it. It’s not too late. Look at what parents across the country have been able to do in their public schools. Thousands of parents won seats on their school boards, and are now making cultural changes big and small. It’s not the whole war, but it is an important battlefront. > Conservatives can’t be afraid to make other people uncomfortable. We can’t be afraid to be uncomfortable ourselves. The other side has no intentions of obeying the rules, so let’s adjust and respond accordingly.