In a previous post I explained that our species has sustained itself because of three values that are primary to survival and social evolution: quality of life, growth and equality. Although those values were not identified until recently, they have been active in the lives of billions of individuals for hundreds of thousands of years. Each person becomes enculturated by their family of origin in “what works” to survive and to improve their lives according to those values, as that family interprets them.
Societies develop from individuals and families who form clans, tribes and nations, and later began living in cities with organizations that supported the functions of those nations of people. Governments formed to coordinate what individuals and families could not. In a socially sustainable nation, the support system looks like this:

The order of survival is species first, then individuals and families. Large groups of people create societies; with social, political and economic/financial organizations supporting the survival of societies. Because organizations have not been designed to become sustainable, when tough times come organizations fail and so do the societies they support. To create sustainable nations, organizations must be designed with the intention and decision-making practices that support social sustainability.