The Family as the Foundation of Society

The family is the most intimate level of the social being from the perspective of the individual. It is an outgrowth of the individual and of individual will, as a new family is composed of the coming together of two individuals, joined through mutual desire. New individuals literally grow from this union, making the family the most obvious level in which we can see the interconnectedness of the entire organic nation. The individual is an expression of the family, and the family cannot exist without the people who make it up.

The interconnection we experience in the family is a physical manifestation of our interconnection with the entire universe. This interconnection starts with the intimate family, ideally composed of a father, a mother, and children, and extends outward through the families into which the parents were born, forming an extended family or clan. This clan, which is vitally missing in modernity, is equally important. The organic connections of the clan with other clans form the tribe, and the connections of tribes form the entire social being.

Every individual is born into a family; no individual has ever appeared out of nowhere. Therefore, every individual is born into an organic society. The family is the foundation of all society and is a microcosm of the greater society itself. We see in the family what organic authority is—the only true and valid authority—and how it must be treated with deference, not fear. Healthy families are built on love and mutual respect, which in turn should translate to the entirety of society. In the organic nation, this kind of authority replaces the dictatorial authority of the artificial state.

At each level of the social organism, a living being exists. This living being is spiritual in nature, with the body composed of different individual members. A spiritual being is a form of our metaphysical reality, shaping the organic being of the family, clan, tribe, and ultimately the entire nation. This is how society is naturally formed. Society is not formed by the state or by the market but grows like a tree, with deep roots and tall branches. Heritage forms the roots of the social tree, with our ancestors being an equally important part of the living tree—the roots through which the tree is nourished.

A healthy family produces strong, healthy individuals who, in turn, create strong, healthy families. This organic process determines the entire health of the nation. The environment of the family is determined by the culture of the family. A healthy culture creates healthy families, characterized by support and encouragement, strength and togetherness, competency and clarity of vision, and clear roles and dynamic relationships.

We mention a “healthy” family because there are, of course, unhealthy family environments. The culture of the family can be corrosive if it mimics the culture of modernism without focusing on building a positive environment. Unfortunately, this is the reality for the majority of families today.

It is important to dispel the myth of the altruistic family. The organic guiding principle of the family is not altruism. The Judeo-Christian-Islamic worldview has distorted our notion of what the family means by introducing altruism. Altruism is the act of self-sacrifice, the mistaken idea that to be part of a collective, one must sacrifice individual identity and freedom for the good of the collective. This situation is only necessary in an artificial institution. In an organic community, the culture builds the strength of the individual, and self-sacrifice is not a requirement. If self-sacrifice is necessary, such as a parent protecting their child, it is not altruistic sacrifice because the parent desires nothing more than to protect the child; that is the role of a parent.

Liberty is inherent in the healthy family. There is no contradiction between the community and the individual because the natural purpose of the community is to create strong, empowered individuals and to be the environment in which strong and empowered individuals can thrive.

In a healthy, non-altruistic family, an environment of liberty and mutual respect exists. As childhood progresses and children become adults, the main lesson learned is one of self-reliance. Thus, the child grows into an adult knowing they can achieve their full potential. This is radically different from the education a child receives in a collectivist social environment or an altruistic family or state institution.

Divorce, so frequent in modernity, represents not only the end of a marriage but the death of an organic entity that spiritually composes the family. Despite what psychologists or marriage counselors might say, divorce is a tragic event. Children are nourished not only by their relationships with individual parents but by the spiritual entity of the family. The entirety of society is weakened by every divorce. While it is common today to believe that parents should not stay together for the sake of the children, we assert that parents should stay together not only for the good of their children but for the good of their children's children and the entire society.

In conclusion, the family is the bedrock of society, the microcosm of the larger social organism. Understanding and nurturing the family's organic nature, promoting a healthy family culture, and rejecting the notion of altruistic self-sacrifice in favor of true, mutual respect and support will lead to a thriving, empowered, and cohesive society.