What Is an “Organic Society”?
An “Organic Society” is a larger group of people that organizes and supports the functioning of its communities within the living environment it inhabits, in harmony with the flourishing of all living and non-living beings, in such a way as to serve the highest good of all existence.
There are two possible approaches to interpreting the word “organic” in the expression “Organic Society.”
One approach is to compare the characteristics of an Organic Society with those of organic matter. At first hearing, this may seem somewhat unusual, but when we examine these phenomena more deeply, we find an almost complete correspondence.
We know that the bodies of living organisms are composed of organic matter. These organic molecules are much larger and more complex than the substances that make up inanimate objects. This is because the bodies of living organisms must consist of matter organized at such a high level that it is always capable of providing the conditions necessary for the manifestations of life.
For this to be possible, the substances that make up the body — and the organs composed of those substances — must be capable of forming and maintaining highly complex relationships.
This high level of organization is also characteristic of an Organic Society.
Society itself may be regarded as a kind of “virtual living organism,” whose parts, or “organs,” are coordinated in such a way that the Organic Society itself is capable of exhibiting the characteristics of life.
In other words, every smaller and larger unit of the community functions much like an organ in the human body: each has its own unique role, while at the same time all are masterfully coordinated toward a “higher-order purpose” — namely, the harmonious functioning of the whole.
The cells and organs of a living organism follow their own path toward fulfillment while, from the very beginning, being guided by the “higher-order purpose” of creating and maintaining a body that holds them together and protects them.
The same applies to an Organic Society: its organs continually strive, through their coordinated activities, to create and maintain a state that holds them together and protects them.
Just as in a living organism, the activities of all its parts must be brought into harmonious coordination in order to create an Organic Society.
The truth of this principle was already recognized in the ancient civilizations. From the Emerald Tablets, we know the principle of the fundamental unity of existence: “as above, so below,” “as outside, so within,” “as in the small, so in the great,” and so forth. According to this principle, once we understand how a particular realm of existence or process operates, we can use that knowledge to understand how other realms and processes operate as well.
Because the scales — or dimensions — are different, things may appear different on the surface. Yet by listening to our common sense and our hearts, we may once again develop the ability to recognize which thing or process corresponds in essence to another at a different scale.
Once we develop an intuitive understanding of this principle and truly comprehend it, we can begin to understand the workings of the Whole of Existence and navigate the complexity of life with greater ease. All of the above means that a human community — a society — functions according to the laws of the Whole of Existence when its parts are harmoniously coordinated. This coordination enables every constituent part of society to achieve its own fulfillment while society itself continuously develops and reaches greater fulfillment as a whole.
You have probably also heard, dear reader, the principle that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” If it is true that a body is more than the totality of its organs, then it is likewise true that an Organic Society is more than the sum of its parts. What, then, might this additional quality be in the case of an Organic Society?
The state itself, as a “body,” protects, safeguards, and holds together the various parts of society, while also using its regulatory capacities to help those parts achieve their fulfillment.
We must now examine what the parts — the “organs” — of society actually are.
Here, we immediately encounter another characteristic of the Whole of Existence: everything consists of parts — more precisely, components and building blocks — and humanity itself is no exception. We have identified the following interconnected, fundamental, defining, and most important levels of human organization: the individual, the family, the local community, the nation, and humanity.