Why aren’t people having children?

[Mrs. Peel]

the core reason people are not having children is because It's no longer affordable

I won't argue with statistics, but the people I see IRL are still having children, and not worrying about whether they can afford them or not. A friend is going to be a great-grandmother, her 21 year old unmarried, jobless, granddaughter is giving birth next month. I see more on my community social media pages, single moms (and couples ) with multiple children asking for handouts because their government assistance isn't coming till next week. Some even continue to have another one so they can get more assistance and not have to work.

In the context of this thread, it is also true that for some people, not having children (fruit) or not starting a family is equivalent to pruning the tree so that (the soul) can grow stronger. Pruning represents a necessary cleansing (through the word) to remove what hinders spiritual growth. A process of purification or discipline that removes obstacles (sin, distractions) to foster greater spiritual productivity.

I never wanted children, perhaps because I did not have a close relationship with my parents and didn't get the "good feels" that I wanted to pass on to having my own. But there can be the opposite effect in "I want to have a child so I can give it everything I didn't get." I now feel like my decision was a "pruning of the tree" so I didn't pass on the issues I have from my dysfunctional family into another generation.

The people I know/meet with children (now it's grandchildren in this stage of life) are so preoccupied with family life (babysitting, attending their sports games, etc.) that they don't have any time or inclination to pursue "spiritual growth" other than (maybe) a quick trip to church on Sunday.

Yes, it's possible to have children and spiritual growth, but I believe it's more difficult and takes real commitment, not to mention the inner drive to pursue that path. I'm not sure that if I had children, raising them would not have distracted me from ever getting farther than the quick trip to church on Sunday.

 

[Alejo]

I am not sure that this a very strong factor - my money would be more on the dissolution of the nuclear family, traditional values and mounting oppressiveness of authorities.

It could be multi factored, I think in the 80s people had families to fall back for comfort and security, safety and a sense of home. Nowadays, wanting a family is seen as a sign of weakness and backwards thinking.

 

[ryu]

A chunk of humankind is driven almost solely by instinct and these people still have children. Also, in many parts of the world, women don’t get a choice on how many children they want to have.

The part of humanity who thinks a bit and has a choice is having less children, or not at all because the future is uncertain, there is polution, climate change, economic instability, massive corruption, violence, technology used for control and these people see it.

At this point, if you are awake and want kids, I mean kids who will grow to be integrated humans, capable of unfolding their potential, not little zombies, you have to sit and ask yourself if you are strong and wise enough to act as a buffer between your child and the mad world we live into. Former generations had to ask themselves these questions many times in history, but this time, the crisis is global.

You have to seriously think of how you are going to give values to the child in a world that denies them, how you are going to keep it fed, warm, healthy, in a world that is running into the wall. If you have spiritual values on top of it, it’s a real act of faith in life itself.

If the answer is yes, you might have one, maybe two kids, but you probably won’t decide to bring 6 or 7 children into the world.

 

[Turgon]

Predictive History analyzed some of the reasons birth rates have dropped significantly. I find his theories broad, but somewhat overly simplistic. Of course it's through the lens of game theory, which is like has already been mentioned, a zero sum game and the question of love is all but never mentioned anymore. Where wealth, status, and genetics are the main factors for choosing a partner and due to increasing materialism, is causing expectations to become increasingly impossible to meet. The only place on Earth where birth rates are actually increasing is Africa, and the lowest birth rates are South Korea. So much so that he predicts South Korea won't exist as a sovereign nation within 50 years because of it.

 

[3DStudent]

I suppose this thread was in my subconscious because Friday night I had a dream a partner was having our child. And I wanted to see it and give Reiki to it (was unsure of gender). And even though I have not used Reiki in a long while (which I stated in the dream).

If I were to get a partner, I'd have to consider getting a vasectomy. I just don't have the energy to add another life to my life. So it does kind of leave you with the question of what you're giving back to life. I think there are some jobs that can serve children, obviously like teachers. Or maybe people who make toys or products for kids. The world sure needs a balance of giving to and helping them these days..

 

[iamthatis]

There are children, perhaps fewer, but they're still there. I love watching them; they're wonderful. I stop and watch them walking hand in hand when they go in groups. In pairs, absolutely delightful. They're there. Cute as can be. And I also go to the park sometimes with my dog, I sit and watch them play, and I watch the parents. There aren't many of them, it's true. But they're there. The saddest thing during the lockdown they forced us into during Covid was not seeing children anywhere. Oh, but when the penance was lifted, to see the first brave parents walking with their children in the street! Fantastic. It was as if life suddenly resumed what it is: life.

They are there, don't doubt it. You must watch them when they pass near you, because it's beauty passing by. And that's a gift from heaven.

I just wanted to say I always appreciate your perspective, not just in this post, but everywhere on the forum. You have a generous and artistic eye, a cultured eye I would say, and a very poetic way of speaking - you often helps me find the beauty in every day life, in the small things, and I enjoy hearing your view, especially in times when that certain je ne sais quoi of goodness seems so difficult to find. Thanks for being you, loreta!