Where Have All the Children Gone?

A half century ago when I was growing up and going to school, the great fear facing our society and the world was not global warming . . . it was over population. There were too many children being born! The world was rapidly approaching the day when famine and overcrowding would overtake us like the plague! People had to limit family size for the benefit of the world! Something had to be done . . . and fast!

Well, like the global warming alarmists, the population alarmists didn’t always have their research in line with reality. It turns out that there is plenty of food in the world, and plenty of space. The problems that usually result in starvation generally arise from or are compounded by the political actions or inaction of various governments and warring factions.

Interestingly, a crisis in the Western world has developed as a direct result of people’s beliefs about family size. But, it’s not over-population . . . it's under-population.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, a member of the British House of Lords, recently made quite a splash with his comments about religion and procreation in Europe. He said Europe is dying because its citizens are too selfish to have children. Consumerism and a desire for instant gratification have resulted in a dwindling birthrate that really does have potentially devastating implications!