Four Governments
"The usual connotation of government is 'political'.... But
that is not the way in which government is discussed in the great books.
"For
the most part, government is considered in one or another of its special
settings--as it functions in the family or the state, in the soul or in the
universe."
-Mortimer Adler
These are four great arenas of government:
- family
- state
- soul
- universe
Of these, there is a hierarchy of effectiveness. For
example, if the universe weren't well governed (if, for example, there were not
scientific laws such as gravity or the laws governing atoms and molecules), the
governance of family and state wouldn't matter much.
On the other hand, humans
can't do much to govern the universe. This job just isn't up to us.
The other three areas of governance--of individual souls,
famiies and states--is our role.
Here
are the rules:
If the governance of the family is
improved in all families, the government of states is automatically greatly
improved.
If the governance of the soul is
improved in all people, the governance of families and states is improved.
In contrast, if the governance of
the state is improved, there is no guarantee that the governance of soul or
family is improved.
In short, the priority of governance is as follows:
1-The Universe
2-The Soul
3-The Family
4-The State
Some may debate this order, and in fact there is something
to be said about the need for good governance on all levels and the way they
reinforce each other.
My point is this: Too often when we think of government we
emphasize politics, when in fact governance of the individual and the family are
much more important.
When we get the basics right, the more complex challenges
naturally fall into place.
| 
Social Leader Daily by Oliver DeMille
