Principles of Liberty, Principle 26: the core unit which determines the strength of any society is the family; therefore, the government should foster and protect its integrity.
In this day of shifting morality and increasing pressure on society to accept as “normal” behavior and relationships that are opposed to natural law (see previous articles in this series), we do well to remember the role of family in society:
1. The family unit is the basic building block of society. It is within the context of family that values and beliefs are passed from one generation to another. It was said of the ancient Israelites that Moses and his generation knew the ways of God, but the generation that followed only knew the works of God. In other words, the children saw the works (the effects) but they did not understand the ways (principles). Without the principles, the effects could not be maintained, and the nation of Israel was lost. Similarly, when we fail to pass on to the next generation the principles of freedom and sound government, those ideals we cherish will soon pass away.
2. The family unit is the well spring of self-government. The core principles mentioned above include self-control, delayed gratification, the concept of teamwork and sacrificing for “the good of the order.” When these concepts are lost, society as a whole suffers.
The way it’s “supposed to work”:
1. The family is the basic building block of society, and the well spring of self-government.
2. Families form alliances (neighborhoods, villages, towns, etc.) and elect representatives to govern the geographical area.
3. Communities make up counties, counties make up states, and states make up the nation.
Today a significant portion of the “transfer process” in which knowledge and values are passed from one generation to another has been eroded. Yes, we still have young people progressing from kindergarten to graduate and post graduate studies; but often the knowledge is being formed in a vacuum; too much of the young person’s formation is left to the state, with only peripheral parental involvement. The very structure of the family itself is being warped and changed by outside pressures, divorce, etc. to such an extent that the founding fathers would hardly recognize the unit we call “family.” The result is a weakening of the freedom of the individual.
To understand how this works one need look no further than the socialist and communist nations of the world. The press in these nations is always to remove children from their parents at an ever earlier age. The goal is to have the state, rather than the parent, raise the child so that the child is properly indoctrinated and compliant with the will of the state. The child sees the state as their benefactor and protector. The interruption of the normal relationship with parents often means the child never has an opportunity to form a meaningful relationship with God; the result is that the concept of personal freedom and liberty becomes foreign to the child, and the new generation passively accepts and even welcomes the yoke of state. Individual drive and innovation begins to fail and the level of creativity declines. As the state attempts to be all things to all people, and provide cradle to grave care and protection for the population, the consumers begin to outnumber the producers. Generally the state will at some point attempt to force productivity from the population, but these efforts usually are only partially successful. The overall standard of living declines. Eventually the society collapses and the cycle starts over again.
We need to study history and understand that very often, the decline of civilization begins with the decline of the family; and often that decline is aided and abetted by a state that wants to be worshipped by the citizens; that wants to be the “beneficent dictator.” But as we have seen throughout history, the state is incapable of occupying the role of god for very long. We must see and understand what is happening to the family today, and we must understand the impact of the family on society. If we do not preserve the traditional family unit, we will ultimately lose our nation.