I was pretty much libertarian before I knew the word. As I observed politics, I realized that in politics, the people who were actually the most libertarian or anarchist (not /members of a libertarian party/, but actually libertarian/anarchist in actual daily practice,
– were that way because they weren’t capable of working with other people. I became conciled to the idea of political parties, and became conservative / minimal government right-wing.
much later, when I got old, the conservative / minimal government party deserted me (think 1970s republican in the age of Trump), and I’m back to voting for independents who aren’t capable of working with other people.
My parents were not political and grandparents leaned far right and I paid little attention to politics until my late 20’s. From that point on, I was liberal.
I was always pretty much moderate, tho I used to lean more conservative than liberal - probably due to parental influence. As I’ve gotten older, I skew a bit more to the left, but I don’t think either side has a “best” set of answers.
I used to consider myself “socially liberal but economically conservative”. Now I am liberal/progressive (with some exceptions*). I developed more compassion as I grew older and gained more life experience. Also, the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent recession turned my politics around. I hate the term flip-flop. Viewpoints can change as external circumstances change and some times your place on the continuum can shift even though you are standing still as everything moves around you
The closet thing to an exact moment happened when my viewpoints changed was when the conservatives started blaming irresponsible homeowners for the financial crisis.
I have nothing against responsible gun ownership but I reject the idea that any gun regulation is unconstitutional. And I am concerned about the DIRECTION of modern Islam and the fact that Islamic governments throughout the world are becoming MORE restrictive and authoritarian in the name of religion. And I think Russia is a criminal organization and that it is a mistake to try to deal with them honestly.
Back in university I was a general, all-round left-wing liberal: small-r republican, opposed the House of Lords, wanted PR, federalism, even supported a European federal state.
In my mid-twenties I was more conservative: monarchist, supported the Lords, agnostic on electoral reform, but casually pro-European.
I’ve grown a fair bit more socially liberal in the past few years, but I’m still conservative on constitutional issues but slightly centre-left on economic matters now.
I am more liberal as I get older, but I am more honest about why I believe as I do.
Ten years ago, if you had asked me why I care about having a strong societal safety net, I would have said it’s because I care about people, having a compassionate heart and all that. But now, I realize that while I am compassionate, that’s not where my political bent comes from. No, I care about social welfare because I’m selfish. I want the government to care for people because desperate people are scary people. I don’t want to live in fear of being mugged just because I’m well-fed and the person who is sharing the sidewalk with me isn’t. I also don’t want to be inconvenienced by dumb, irresponsible people. People who aren’t adequately cared for in childhood grow up to be dumb and irresponsible. Furthermore, I don’t like knowing that I’m just a couple of bad decisions away from living on the street my own damn self. I want the government to look after the poor because I might be one of them one day.
I suppose I’ve always been small-l libertarian, owning back to an incident from when I was about 9 or 10 that I still remember vividly*.
From about age 18 until about age 35 I’d convinced myself that I was a Republican; I think that had to do with the fact that I was a devout, evangelical Christian during that time and, well, in the US at least, those two things kind of go together.
Since about age 35 I’ve been much more openly libertarian, borderline minarchist. BUT, this current administration has made me think I may actually be a democrat. So who the hell knows?
*So the family is driving down the road, and we pass a billboard that says something like “PORK: The other white meat,” or something (the pork industry being big in Illinois). I wondered why Jews weren’t writing letters to the editor about that; after all, Christians wrote letters to the editor about liquor being legal to buy on Sunday morning, and other things that Christians weren’t supposed to do that they complained about others being allowed to do. So why weren’t Jews complaining about promoting pork, since they don’t eat pork? It was at that point that it occurred to me that not every social group is interested in getting everybody else to obey its own laws. My little nine-year-old mind realized at that point that, for me anyway, it’s not cool to expect other people to obey rules that matter to you. I suppose that’s something akin to the philosophical root of libertarianism, and I came to it on my own in preadolescence.