The 14 Pillars for Family Survival

Create an Ideal Family Now and One that Will Last for Generations to Come

This Preventive Law Study was written by:  John Goodson, Colleen Manley and Christine Goodson Forakis.

Summary

The family is the strongest survival unit in our world today – and always has been. The greatest prosperity of Rome came when the noble families worked together and controlled the governmental forum. Only when we have a population without strong and noble families do we have dissension and turmoil within the body politic.

Having studied families in our law practice for the last 45 years, I have observed substantially what works and what does not work in regards to family structures. Many times the family structure case history lessons took place within our own family by chance and circumstance. From this long tenure of observation I have concluded there are 14 pillars for family survival. Each of these pillars is important for holding up the family structure. Similarly, we can say there are 14 wagons which must be capable of circling for the protection and continuation of the family:

1. Secure home
   A family must have a place for its existence. A place on this earth that they truly love and have spent time improving and making into better homestead. Families must be like the English “landed gentry” with homes belonging to the various family members. Hopefully the family members will live close so that in bad times they may come rapidly together.
2. Sufficient issue
   Many families are rich and famous but do not have enough children and grandchildren to sustain existence. Having children is so important. The kings and queens of yore had the high responsibility of producing the princes and princesses and an extended family so there would always be enough family members for the crown to continue. A major effort of the family is not only to produce the children but to have all the capable family members provide help and funds for making sure there are doctors, nurses, babysitters, nannies and other assistance for raising children. Also, any pregnant family member must be given careful attention which includes complete nutrition that is so lacking in today’s society and an environment of minimum stress so as to produce the healthiest of babies.
3. Splendid education
   Every child and grandchild within the family must be given the maximum education that their inclination for destiny will engender. Conversely, the children must be motivated to achieve highly in school and should know this is their earliest job in life. Their job is to educate and train themselves to be intelligent enough to handle the challenges of their later lives.
4. Splendid health
   A family must have dedication to good health which includes good water, nutritious food, exercise, games and activities that promote these qualities for the entire lives of each family member. These principles must be taught, demonstrated and arranged so that every family member will produce benefits for the family and society far into what some people think is old age.
5. Security and safety
   We must never, as a family, let our so-called guard down. The country of Switzerland, which is the most peaceful and tranquil country in the world, also has one of the most well trained and dedicated military forces. Similarly, every family member here in the United States must be able to survive in the outdoors, be able to grow food and raise animals, be able to use fire arms, and be forever wary of potential intrusions into the home and unexpected attacks when outside of the home. Each family must brainstorm all the possibilities that could harm or destroy the family and have protective measures to prevent those calamities from occurring.
6. Pervasive spirituality
   There must be a code of ethics and moral standards for each family which are sometimes manifested in religious commitments. The family must adopt these guidelines and educate the family members on them which will allow love and harmony within and outside of the family. A family foundation and a propensity to give to charity will allow the family to more closely control surplus funds that may otherwise be lost as taxes which support government programs that may not be as efficient as a carefully managed private family charity. This realm of family spirituality is the maintenance of a deep love, understanding, and a striving for unity and harmony among family members.
7. Varied investments
   In order to insure there are funds for the homes, for child care, and for maximum education there should be varied investments. The family must maintain a pool of investments which may be drawn upon like stored nuts for a squirrel – always being certain that even during difficult times the family education is secure and supreme for the younger generation.
8. Sufficient income
   Each family member must be trained in some way to produce income to replenish the stores of investments. Not only the males, but also the females who will later become mothers and must be able to have incomes or professions to support themselves and the family. In most instances it would be appropriate to have an intellectual pursuit and a physical pursuit never knowing which one will be most needed in the unusual circumstances that we will face in the future. For instance, a family member may be a lawyer and a cabinet maker, a journalist and a seamstress, a doctor and a farmer, so that all the eggs are not in one basket.
9. Assets of intrinsic value
   Families must not completely stake their happiness and security on economically sensitive financial tools such as stocks, bonds and currency, real estate or bank accounts. In the event of severe economic decline or an economic collapse those families will lose everything of value. Even the strongest economies throughout world history have fallen. Families should be gathering assets of intrinsic value such as gold, silver and other precious metals, jewels, jewelry and any other tangible items of value. This will protect families in the uncertain world we live in and give them true financial security in the event of economic chaos and war.
10. Successive leaders
    The family must decide who, in every generation, will lead the family in difficult times. That person must be named, willingly accept this responsibility and should begin to pass the leadership on to the next generation early so the next leader will be able to initially practice leadership skills under the tutelage of the previous leader. No matter who the leader is, there will never be complete perfection. Even with shortcomings from time to time, the leader must continue to strive and be available to assist all the family members. The leader, like an Indian chief, must have a council of elders to provide checks and balances as well as to provide encouragement to the leader.
11. Good genes
    Having lots of children is not enough – One must have lots of children with good genes. It is important to carefully structure marriages making certain that one marries an intelligent mate. Nothing is more detrimental to a family than having less than intelligent offspring who are unable to deal with the challenges of life. Care must be taken in choosing marriage partners who are free of disease, mental and physical detriments, and lacking the physical structures and features which lend themselves to strength and survival.
12. Family government
    Within the family there must be rules, a family constitution and traditions that are adopted by the family and inculcated through repetition into the subconscious minds of every family member so that in hard times there will be the right cohesive organization, leadership and correct synaptic reactions.
13. Cherished charity
    Every family must be dedicated to giving money to charitable organizations which make the world a better place for the family. It is best for each family to have a foundation of their own that is dedicated to providing grants to charities which improve the environment and dedicated to providing societal care which includes education, research, religious training and assistance in order to aid all families in the community and larger society.
14. Dynamic geist
    “Geist” is a German word meaning strong spirit. I interpret that to be “get up and go.” All the formative thoughts about each of these pillars of the family’s survival is for naught if the family does not push and strive to achieve all of these pillars within the family unit. The family must become excited about the idea of growing and becoming better and better from one generation to the next. It is okay to strive to persevere in this focus – to push, to drive, to thrust, to become excited, to err on the side of exaggeration, too much rather than be without – for even more powerful geist.

You have now been apprized of the 14 pillars for family survival.

I suggest 5 simple traits which will symbolize the forward and upward movement of the members of a family:

• Whenever you walk, walk fast. It will be tremendous exercise. It will save precious time. You will look determined.
• Whenever you sit with someone at a table, lean forward – this honors people at your table, demonstrating that you are listening, observing, and are alert. This posture will also prevent food from falling in your lap.
• Whenever you are in a group of people, be sure you look at each person in the group when you talk – for at least 4 seconds – really “seeing” them before you move to the next person. You are telling everyone that you treasure each one of them – one and all.
• Whenever you are in a position, take charge – the first military general order – “take charge of your post and all government property in view.” If you have a room, make sure that you own and control everything in it. If you are in an office, make certain there is nothing in it that you don’t know and understand. Don’t ever surround yourself with that which you do not want to own or which doesn’t matter to you. Do not have in your space any object which symbolizes that which is not akin to your psyche.

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