Today, politics has turned into a cold civil war. Immigration is one of the most divisive issues — hot with agendas, rage, and confusion.. What’s the right amount of immigration? How do you know if a political decision is beneficial or downright suicidal?
To answer these questions, we first need to understand the purpose of the state.
Think of it like designing a ship. You can’t decide on its size or layout without knowing its purpose. Is it meant to sail rivers, cross oceans, or fight space wars? Without a clear purpose, every decision is a shot in the dark.
In the same way, political decisions without clarity on the state’s purpose are dangerous. The state’s virtue — just like a ship’s — is how well it fulfills its purpose.
And what is that exactly?
Simply put, the state exists to protect and promote the flourishing of its citizens. That’s its core. If a state fails at this, it’s a failure — period.
And there are so many policies that blatantly serve other interest groups today, that we forget the government is supposed to be by the people, for the people. The West is being gaslit into staying in a toxic relationship with an abusive regime. Abuse starts small, then it becomes normal, soon victims start blaming themselves. That is until a friend gives them perspective and reminds them what a healthy relationship looks like.
This is where the wisdom of classical thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, and the Founding Fathers becomes invaluable. They wrote about the state in its origins, and understood principles of a healthy republic better than anyone.
Why did Aristotle warned us that tyrants prefer foreigners. Why did Jefferson and Aristotle so fiercely believe that civic virtue is essential to a healthy republic. And that virtue collapses without private ownership?
Let’s dive in.
BTW. See my video essay here
CIVIC VIRTUE & SOCIAL COHESION
Aristotle viewed the state as a partnership for promoting virtue and the good life — where citizens work together for human flourishing. Jefferson, following this classical thinking, believed the state’s primary function was to protect the natural rights of its citizens: aka. “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
At its core, the state or regime is simply the organization of the citizens. Whether it’s Athens or America, a democratic state forms when a community decides how to govern itself to maximize mutual benefit.
This is where civic virtue comes in. Civic virtue simply means “we before me.” It’s the glue that holds a healthy republic together. Civic virtue is when citizens and leaders put the whole before themselves. This was heavily emphasized by Plato, Aristotle, the Founding Fathers, and anyone who can think straight about teamwork. But let’s be real about human nature: we only do this when we feel intimately bonded to one another and to a larger project. The more powerful a shared group feeling is, the more people put the team first. The more estranged a community is, the less fucks people give about the whole. Hence, civic virtue dies without social cohesion. Asabiyyah, as I discussed in my last video.
I’d argue, that social cohesion is the true first principle for all human flourishing. It is the most vital part of a any project, team, or state. It’s also a basic human need as well. And any visionary leaders out there, take notes for your future communities and decentralized tribes.
Social cohesion needs to be sacred.
Without it — self-interest will dominate soceity, and people will do the bare minimum. No amount of guilt-tripping will make people prioritize neighbors they don’t feel connected to, or sacrifice for a tribe they don’t love. Civic virtue only thrives when citizens feel bonded to one another.
And this is what mass and unregulated immigration destroys.
When you add to many outsiders to any group, you risk losing the sacred bond that group. When outsiders don’t assimilate, you fracture the tribal sense and identity. And this leads to disintegration.
For example, a Navy SEAL will sacrifice his life for his comrades. But if you fill his team with untrained civilians, foreign strangers, and even a few enemies… he will be confused about what he’s fighting for. The tribal sense will collapse. The social cohesion will be destroyed. And he will retreat to simply serving himself and his immediate circle.
You can bring in outsiders, that’s fine. But it needs to be regulated, and they need to be trained and valuable to the team. Or else the team will resent the strangers who become burdens, and or just fall apart.
This isn’t a moral stance — it’s human nature.
True democracy can only thrive when people feel connected — when they have shared group feeling and pride in the larger community. This was the original idea of the american republic: a diverse set of tight-knit communities, that all participate in one larger body.
Without that social bond and self-governance, democracy dies, and Corruption thrives. Because self-interest will lead on every. Single. front.
This is why, Anything that breaks the bonds of citizenship and social cohesion is far more destructive than people imagine.
CITIZENSHIP
So, what creates a healthy state and social cohesion? True citizenship is the answer. Without it, the state falls apart, and society fractures.
Based on Aristotle and Jefferson, I define citizenship by three key factors:
- Private ownership and a personal stake within a community.
- Active participation in the political body.
- Shared values and virtues with your neighbors.
- For Aristotle, citizenship was not a right given to everyone but rather a status reserved for those who actively participated in the political life of the state. He believed that property ownership, particularly land, gave citizens a stake in the community and provided stability for its future.
This stake is the MOST important thing in my mind. Citizenship is about having a long-term stake in a larger project. When people don’t own property or see a long-term future for their families in a town, they won’t care as much or invest. Ownership ties individuals to the community and fosters long-term thinking. Without it, you get atomization.
For instance: Do you maintain your yard as well if you rent the house? No. Do you go above and beyond for neighbors? No.
It’s why business CEOs give equity, a share of the company to other leaders they want on the leadership team. Ownership aligns self-interest with group interest.
And it’s why in the ancient world, citizens free men and land-owners to some degree.
- Aristotle viewed the middle class, often comprising of these small landowners, as the most important group for maintaining political stability. In his view, a society dominated by a large landless class and a small, extremely wealthy elite would be doomed.
- When we bring in millions of low-educated landless people. We are creating an expanded welfare state of peasantry. In California for instance, most private farms have been bought up by mega corporations, the middle class families have left, and immigrants work the lands with no hope of ever owning them.
This is what happened in the late roman republic right before the fall.
… Land owning farmers, the middle class backbone of rome, won great wars of expansion for the elites. The elites came back with riches and slaves, buying up small farms and consolidating them into vast estates. These conglomerates were manned by the slaves that the citizens had won. The citizen farmers got outcompeted, lost their lands, and the lower class swelled. social cohesion and civic virtue died. The elites became increasingly opulent and corrupt, the plebs hated rome, and julius caesar came to set it all on fire. The republic died.
Land owning families anchor the power base amongst the citizens and middle class. Rooted communities of land owners tend to have higher self-reliance, social cohesion, and are essentially Tyrant Repellent. Hence, Corrupt elites and tyrants who are trying to consolidate power and serve their interests, will bring in foreigners. Landless foreigners and renters are dependent on the state elites, they are cheap labor, easy to manipulate, and worst of all, foreigners can be used as a weapon against citizens during regime changes.
IMMIGRATION IN AMERICA: CONCLUSION
Ultimately, The first duty of every state is to it’s people. When the people’s best interest is treated as a secondary concern, you can be sure tyranny or corruption is secretly driving the nation.
A state that allows mass immigration at the EXPENSE of the citizens is BETRAYING its citizens. And such regimes must be corrected or overthrown.
So Who does mass immigration serve? Let’s follow the money.
Not the citizens at all. It’s a Huge detriment to citizens. And often times the immigrants.
- Elites and conglomerates. Unckilled immigrants are cheap labor and cheap votes.
- Bureaucratic welfare state: Expansion of managerial jobs and welfare programs.
- Globalist agenda: Weakening unique cultures and identities to create a homogenized, controllable population.
Mass immigration may appear to increase diversity, but it actually erodes it in the long run. True diversity comes from the concentration of unique cultures, not their dispersion. Mixing everything together just creates a gray, unrooted populace that’s easier to control.
Jefferson believed in limited government and individual responsibility. In essence, he and Aristotle both believed that to create a healthy state, focus on creating healthy citizens.
Citizenship is about meaning and connection. A strong bond with your tribe gives life purpose and fosters civic virtue. Owning land gives citizens a true stake in their community and future. With ownership comes responsibility — shared meaning, and a sense of belonging. When citizens feel deeply connected and invested, they rise to greater virtue. This is the foundation of a flourishing society.
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