Order is one of the central themes of the book, Return to Order From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society—Where We’ve Been, How We Got Here, and Where We Need to Go. It is the object of our return and therefore must be clearly understood.
The word order can bring several things to mind.
- When items are in their proper place as perhaps in a closet, they are said to be in order.
- When some kind of discipline is applied, as in the case of law enforcement, the result is order.
- When Marine Corps Band executes a command from their officer, the parade is in good order.
- When something works, it is said to be in order.
All these notions convey the idea of a basic set of internal principles that give meaning and organization to a situation. Perhaps the best general definition of order is that of American philosopher Russell Kirk who affirms: “Order is the first need of the soul.”
