I read an article today. It discussed the Pillars of Society and how they are being controlled by a certain political group of people (conservative or liberal in ideology. I will not say which). He believed that if these pillars were controlled by that group of people, it could mean the end of our democratic society (we are actually a democratic republic, which kind of protects us from what he is talking about, but it does not matter. His article was a little off, as far as I am concerned).

Now, I did not agree with this guy. I thought his hypothesis was right on but his argument was way off. I will not say where he leans and where I lean. I just hope that this article will make you think. I want you to determine where you society is swinging, if it is swinging at all. My opinion is set and does not really matter.

I heard about the Pillars of Society in college. I cannot remember the origins but I believe it was a philosophy from way back. The Pillars are the buttresses that determine our morality and how we interact and behave with others through day to day life. Though they are absolute, their importance and meaning can be influenced, weakening or strengthening their influence. To create a visualization, imagine a pillar that is embedded into the ground. The pillar may be on hard, solid ground, easily able to hold up the roof of the structure. But, on the other hand, it might be built on sand, making it sink and unable to hold the roof. Eventually, the roof collapses.

Time to complete the image. The ground represents the the belief system of the people. How the people feel about the importance of the pillar (I know, the ground does not have a belief system. Just go with it). The roof represents society.

Society being the roof is an important metaphor. Dictionary.com defines society as “an organized group of persons associated together for religious,benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes”. The purpose people live together is to feel safe much in the same way that a roof protects you from the elements. The larger the society, the safer the group of people feel. Protected from other societies and from the rogue element within their own society (crime). 

But the strength of society depends on the strength of those pillars. If (I should say “when” as all societies eventually decline) those pillars deteriorate either through a breakdown in the pillar or a rejection of that system all together, it can make one see the decline of that particular society (or civilization).

As an example, the family is considered a pillar. At one point in our civilization, the family unit was very important (that does not mean there was no dysfunction). If you got pregnant, you got married. Families rarely divorced. There was a patriarch who was responsible for bringing home the money and there was a homemaker who took care of the children and home. Today, most children are born out of wedlock. Divorce is common and an absent father is not unheard of. Some see this as the destruction of the family unit and a collapse of the family pillar.

Again, I am not going to give my opinion. My goal is only to inform you of the major aspects of a society. It is up to you to determine how those pillars are being effected by the things that are happening. In my next article I will write about the Pillars of Society: Government, Family, Business, Media, Education, Religion and Arts & Entertainment.

As I have brought up in my last post, there are seven pillars for society. Every news story you hear (true or not) effects one or more of those pillars. When the influence of politics becomes corrupted or unbalanced that is when the pillars weaken.

Again, I am not here to tell you what is happening to them. You want to know, ask in the comments. The reality is that the political affiliation you hold may make you see the corruption or strengthening of the pillars whereas someone of the opposite affiliation may see something completely different. The fact is, we really will not know what the future holds. But, be aware, someone is right. If I believe that the pillars are weakening and you believe they are strengthening because you hold different political beliefs, one of us is right.

Also, issues that arise may effect multiple pillars, not just one. For example, the separation of church and state (one of the most misread quotes in history. It is not in the Constitution) effects multiple pillars.

So here we go.

Government

Government is also known as the Law. Government is commonly used because it creates the law. Our government is easy. According to the Constitution, states have precedence over federal law. The only time federal law overrides is in times of war and interstate disputes. Law should not be confused with morality. The law states what is acceptable for our society, not what is moral. The big questions when it comes to government is the amount of participation (or interference) the federal government should have over state rights? Also, who should create law or regulation (congress or bureaucratic agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency)? The Affordable Care Act and Common Core are typically seen as governmental issues.

Family

Family is defined as “a group consisting of parent(s) and children living together in a household” (Google dictionary). The family’s main purpose is to have children and raise them to be able to fit in to society. The family is also a moral compass. It is suppose to teach the children how, not only to live according to society’s rules, but also to learn right from wrong. Political issues effecting the family would be crime, abortion, drug abuse, child abuse and gay marriage.

Business

Business is also known as the economy. Economy is defined as “the production, distribution, or trade, and consumption of goods and services by different agents in a given geographical location” (Google dictionary). This determines how much money we earn and from where (work or social programs) and where our jobs come from (service or manufacturing). Issues regarding business include environmental protection and regulation, tax reform, welfare reform, trade deals, the decline of the middle class, unemployment, the Affordable Care Act and illegal immigration.

Media

Media has become far more complicated. It used to be where we got our news. In the old days, this came from television and radio news, newspapers and magazines. But now it comes from social media sites, cable news, main stream web sites and fringe websites. In the old days, news was neutral (this happen to who and when). Not so much anymore. News of both sides has become very partisan and is used to bring people to a particular political conclusion (MSNBC and Fox News are examples). The media effects all of the pillars depending on that source’s political agenda. I feel this is a scary pillar.

Education

Education is “the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university” (Google dictionary). When we send our kids to school, we expect our kids to learn the basics (at least I do) such as math, reading and science. But we also expect our children to develop their belief systems and. preferably, with their own thoughts through the process of reasoning. Education is also suppose to make our children productive members of society who also understand how to meld into society. Issues Common Core, Charter Schools, voucher programs, crime, drug use, race, poverty and partisan (union or tenured) teachers.

Religion

Karl Marx said of religion:

“Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people”

But, in society, it is the moral compass. Murder is wrong. Adultery is wrong. Children are the reason of marriage and they must be raised with the same belief system. Law is what is socially acceptable in society. Religion is what is morally acceptable to be a human being. Religion touches all the pillars. Issues involving religion include “separation of church and state,” abortion and gay marriage.

 Arts & Entertainment

Arts and entertainment is also known as the culture of the society. That includes art, literature, music, stage, movies and television shows. Though most stories you may hear do not involve the Arts and Entertainment pillar, this pillar has become very influential and there are not many actors that so not use their celebrity to express their opinions. With a lot of the population embracing Pop Culture (especially in the cities), this pillar has become very influential (and you really see that during the elections). This pillar can effect all of the other pillars through influence.

 When watching the news or thinking about the direction of our civilization, think about these pillars. News stories can can confusing and random and their effects may not be clear. That goes also for the true state of our society. With this model, one can actually see how and what part of society is effected  and reason can be used to come up with a conclusion

 

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