Family

Family is the basic unit of society. Imagine a pyramid. The bottom layer is family, the top is society. When family ceases to exist, so does society. I don't mean the disappearance of the whole society or denial of its existence. I mean family as a function. When the foundation of a building is weakened, the whole structure shudders and sways as easily as a sea of reeds in the wind. Thus, in the same way, when a family loses its cohesion emotionally, society morphs. Whether it evolves into another shape, or diminishes and crumbles over time, nobody truly knows.