Societies are organized on many levels: individual, families, clans, tribes, nations, states. Each level depends on the maturity and success of prior levels. Face-to-face levels are personal and larger impersonal levels employ bureaucracies and social institutions that interrelate analogous to the organs in the human body.

Sovereignty:
No level has absolute sovereignty, although such sovereignty is often falsely claimed by leaders who seek dictatorial control. In societies claimed by conquest, sovereignty is imposed from above, depriving lower levels of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness unless bequeathed by a conqueror with an u usually high social consciousness.

In peaceful societies, individuals cede sovereignty to a larger group by voluntary compact, and smaller social units cede a measure of sovereignty to larger units. This was the original organization of the U.S. Federal government, which started at an integral level of social consciousness and has degenerated into use of social institutions for personal and group plunder by leaders with a social consciousness at level 2 or below.

Subsidiarity:
The principle of subsidiarity, which means “the greatest responsibility to the lowest possible level,” is a principle that encourages appropriate sovereignty and responsibility at each level of society.