tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195323.post4787690028199267107..comments2023-11-03T03:27:26.651-07:00Comments on Deep Thought: Deep Thoughthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17438539845962372105noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195323.post-75520930548289816162012-08-19T06:08:45.694-07:002012-08-19T06:08:45.694-07:00Very interesting. I feel sad for the Japanese, and...Very interesting. I feel sad for the Japanese, and the youth who seem to be so lacking in purpose to be shutting themselves in... <br /><br />It is indeed a warning. Also for Europeans who asre also suffering from ennui, but have muslim populations who are not.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195323.post-88134446967281846622006-12-09T13:33:00.000-08:002006-12-09T13:33:00.000-08:00Well, the awards won you at least one vistor. I m...Well, the awards won you at least one vistor. I move from large-traffic blogs to smaller ones every once-in-awhile, and may be back more frequently.<br /><br />I prefer smaller congregations as well, so there must be something about the size of conversation I like to be involved in. I noted your family size and its importance. We have two American children and two Romanian (19-27 now). If I had to do over again we would have had more. I have become interested in demography over the past few years (Demography.matters.com is excellent) and the numerous explanations why couples are choosing to have fewer children. The decline in tfr has been going on in Western Civilization since about 1800. Increased survival of children, longer life spans, and a 20-year blip after WWII have disguised this trend, but it is unmistakable. There are many excellent hypotheses, including the decreased hopefulness resulting from declining religious belief, but looking at my own generation, I have a theory I have not seen elsewhere. <br /><br />A friend at work once said "Parenting is learning to watch your heart run around outside your body."<br /><br />Children do not shrink your emotional life, they enlarge it. They shrink your discretionary income and they shrink your discretionary time. But they bring you into more contact with people you might not otherwise have known, if only on a superficial level on sidelines and at viola practice. You have less choice and control over who you spend your time with.<br /><br />This is a good thing which many people fear. I believe that fear of loss of control keeps people from having more children. When you have a culture, you want to perpetuate it. Having children is not the only way to do that, but it is the most common. If you are insecure in your family culture you close ranks, trying to isolate your family within your own echo chamber as much as possible - yourself and the select few you perceive as being from your "tribe."<br /><br />Our family culture changed over the years, as the children became able to add to it rather than simply receive it. Adopting the two Romanians 6 years ago has made we other four more Romanian and enlarged the family culture even further. I don't think we would have desired that if we did not perceive ourselves as having a culture to share.Assistant Village Idiothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195323.post-52388751563443896282006-12-08T16:38:00.000-08:002006-12-08T16:38:00.000-08:00I linked to this excellent piece--can't seem to ge...I linked to this excellent piece--can't seem to get the 'create a link' to work.Robert Pearsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01357942424904415208noreply@blogger.com