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.

Photos courtesy of:
thomasabeesh.com
heiwx.com
israellycool.com
jacada.com
theodysseyonline.com