We are the kingdom where matter, soul, and spirit come together. According to most mythologies, humanity is in exile from its true heritage, cast adrift in the natural world. The poignant nostalgia for something half-forgotten that sometimes pains our soul is born of a higher loneliness than this life alone affords. It is the higher home and higher parent we seek and serve. Traditionally the Widow is Isis, Egyptian goddess queen and mother of the mysteries.
Orphans are disciples on the spiritual path.
The sense of being in exile, of not belonging, is an inherent aspect of the heroic makeup. By very definition the hero rises above the masses and does great deeds which will benefit others, often at great sacrifice to self. We've seen that our True Heroes seldom come from traditional families, far from it. To blame all our ills on the disintegration of the nuclear family distracts us from the real societal problems and their multiple causes. Perhaps the breakdown of the nuclear family is the first painful step to bringing all humans to a higher familial awareness.