One word makes me very happy. Learning. That's it. I love opening up a brand new book only seconds later to see what once was black lettering behind a white backdrop quickly become all kinds of chaos as words and phrases are highlighted and margins scribbled with blue ink. I love it all. I find it beautiful. It shows the wonder of the soul: the ability to comprehend, express, and even feel emotion, all from words. There's nothing quite like looking back over a book I've read and rereading all my scribbled notes and scanning highlights. Memories, stories, emotions...all come back to me. I remember what I was thinking while I read and pondered. New insights come to mind, and I once again start the process of yellow highlighter, and scribbled margins.

This process happened to me last night. I opened this talk and read these word: 

"May I point out something obvious? Life rarely goes exactly according to plan for anyone, and we are very aware that not all women are experiencing what the proclamation describes. It is still important to understand and teach the Lord’s pattern and strive for the realization of that pattern the best we can." 

I had the last sentence highlighted and in the margin I wrote, "even if it doesn't apply to me right now, I still need to be aware of it." As I sat pondering on the quote, and the insight I had recored months earlier, I came to a realization as to why I started this blog. Yes it all started as a class assignment...but now it's a lot more than that. I was reminded of the note I made myself that even though I don't have a family of my own, I still need to be aware of issues regarding the family. This blog will give me the chance to do that. How cool is that!

This past week I watched a very interesting documentary called: The Demographic Winter. The 2 part documentary can be found here and here. In summary the documentary talked about low fertility rates around the world and how it will effect the future. In 1968 Dr. Paul R. Ehrlich published a book called, "The Population Bomb." This book talks about the effects of over population, a fear many at the time had with the increase of baby boomers. Further research now shows that world population will peak near 2065, then it is projected to decline.

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Many people, as well as myself, think that during the baby boom (about 1950-1970) women were having a large number of children. According to the video fertility rate was 3.1 at the height of the boom. Women weren't having large families, in reality technology, sanitation, medicine, etc all increased. Survival rate increased. According to this website todays fertility rate in Canada is 1.6 and in the United States 1.9. The demographic winter states that a sup-replacement rate of 2.13 is needed to see that population does not decline.

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Now enough of statistics. Why did fertility drop in the first place? Part 2 of the documentary listed several reasons as to why fertility rate dropped.

The first is the sexual revolution. The pill (birth control) became a thing. I believe when this happened the idea of sex became recreational. The second is divorce. In 1970 Ronald Reagan introduced the no fault divorce act, permitting that one can get a divorce without proof that the spouse did anything wrong. The women's revolution was a huge factor as well. Many women entered the workforce and put careers ahead of raising children. All of this lead to the trend of individualism...me first.

 The documentary mentioned that today people don't see a need to have kids...that they get in the way. It went on to say that "back in the day" kids were an asset. You needed help out on the farm, in the house, in the factory etc..therefore you had kids to help provide a living, and today kids aren't necessary, in reality...kids cost money! When I saw this it really bothered me. Yes children were relied upon much more in the past, I get that. It seems like today that people are very consumed with themselves. And in reality, I see myself falling into the same trap of , "me, me, me." It's an easy thing to get into and an even harder to get out of.

At the end of the film the professors being interviewed came to the conclusion that strengthening family values was the best way to end a demographic winter. This is a quote from the movie: “The cradle of moral capital is the family.” How neat is that? Strengthening family values has been God's plan from the beginning.

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“Let us be more determined to make [righteous] homes, to be kinder husbands, more thoughtful wives, more exemplary to our children, determined that in our homes we are going to have just a little taste of heaven here on this earth.” David O. McKay

Thinking Out Loud

I came across this quote today.

"Often when we think of calamities foretold in the Latter-days, we think of earth quakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, war, and financial collapses. These are all calamities and all foretold of in the scriptures. Yet there has been one calamity in the Latter-days that overshadows all others. It has caused the most pain and heartache for the most people. That calamity is the break-down of the family."

We see evidence of this all around us. On this blog I will share my thoughts and findings as I study the institution of the family in greater depth. Your comments are always welcome.