I don’t think the human mind can handle complex social systems larger than a village without subscribing to a framework of abstract belief. Being abstract, such frameworks are models, filled with subjective information and engineered perspectives. Basically, a village is about the real world around you. A city requires you to tell a few quaint tales about everyone, including you, who lives there. A state requires living an oligarchy’s self-serving lie. An empire requires the total death of self.