The State Can’t Win Against Strong Families

I’ve been thinking a lot about family lately—how it seems more and more that the family is under attack in media, in politics, in schools, and within the legal system. Nearly everywhere you look you can find examples of anti-family messaging.

I, of course, don’t believe this is an accident.

The late philosopher and theologian Michael Novak summed it up well when he said that, “Between the omnipotent State and the naked individual looms the first line of resistance against totalitarianism: the economically and politically independent family.”

This profound statement encapsulates a fundamental truth about the fabric of our society and the pivotal role families play in preserving freedom and individuality against the ever-encroaching tide of totalitarianism.

In our increasingly complex world, where the tentacles of the State often seek to envelop every facet of our lives, it’s imperative that we recognize and bolster the family unit as the bedrock of liberty and the first bastion against the overreach of governmental powers.

It is within the independent family structure that the seeds of resistance against any form of totalitarian control are sown and nurtured.

The concept of family as a bulwark against oppression is a practical and actionable strategy that begins with the empowerment of parents. As guardians of the next generation, parents have the unique and non-transferable responsibility to ensure that their children receive an education that not only enlightens their minds but also fortifies their character against the homogenizing pressures of authoritarian ideologies.

This task, though monumental, is the cornerstone of preserving the individual freedoms that our forebears fought so hard to secure.

Taking the reins of our own children’s education is more of a duty than a choice at this point. There was a time when kids could emerge (relatively) okay through 12 years of public education, but with activist teachers and administrators and a weaponized system that often pits children against their parents—even sometimes criminalizing things that were once simply viewed as parenting—the situation has become one where action is required.

Whether through supplementing traditional schooling with rich, thought-provoking materials, and focusing on quality family communication and dinner time conversations; joining the ever-increasing number of families who are homeschooling, or choosing a private school, microschool; or other alternatives that align with their values and philosophical leanings, parents are realizing that the path they choose must first and foremost lead to the cultivation of discerning, independent-minded thinkers.

Today’s children will be the standard-bearers of liberty in the face of the force of the omnipotent State in the future—a force that has shown itself to be deadly serious about shaping the thoughts and perceptions of the rising generation.

It isn’t politicians or activist groups (even if they are hardworking and well-intended) that are going to inoculate kids against those who would shape their world-view in terrible ways; it’s families.

Everything else is supplementary.

That’s one of the reasons we’ve taken such care to portray the Tuttle Family as close-knit, respectful, and honest. We want to do all we can to help kids see their parents, siblings, and loved ones as their trustworthy and wise advocates.

Because when kids grow up with a tight family support system, they’re more likely to stand strong in the face of adversity when they’re young, and to carry the values they were taught into their teen and young adult years when they don’t always have the protection and counsel of their parents readily available.

In fact, our newest book (coming soon!) portrays exactly this scenario.

In our newest Choose Your Consequence thriller, Ethan and Emily, now in their late teens, have to face a breakdown of public services (and by extension polite society) while their parents are far away.

Will their strong upbringing have prepared them for all that is required as neighbor turns on neighbor in a fight for scarce supplies? Do they have the grit to make it through?

I’m so excited for this book because I know that teen readers are going to see themselves in the pages of it. And of course, it teaches valuable life lessons that books today simply don’t promote.

In a world where the shadows of collectivism and control seem to be closing in on all sides, we can’t underestimate the power of the independent family.

We are, first and foremost, the educators of our children—imparting to them not just knowledge, but the wisdom to discern, the courage to question, and the strength to stand firm in their convictions.

With the dedication of parents like you, strong family units will remain the unyielding first line of resistance against totalitarianism. Through your efforts will come a generation of leaders and thinkers who are as robust in spirit and self-reliance as they are in intellect and compassion.

Even in the face of so much adversity, I know we’re going to win. Thanks for trusting us to help in the important work you’re doing.

— Connor