Epiphany #1: Society For the Family

Worries about resources... mass starvation... not being able to stop human population growth.... For years now, the world has been thought of as a place that is being taken over by toxic chemicals and an exponential rise in population. In some cultures, people have been criticized for having more than one child, and it is becoming increasingly popular to have these children out of wedlock. But I'm getting ahead of myself... Let's get to some facts:

•  Now, more than 40% of newborns don't have both a mother and father to be born to.

• Countries like Japan are now paying couples to get married, and you can receive more than tax breaks in some places by simply having a baby.

• Cohabitation has increased from a reported 430,000 individuals in 1960, to over 6.1 MILLION in 2008.

• Birthrate has decreased significantly since the 1960s, from nearly 30 births per 1000 women, to a mere 12. 

Simply put, families are disintegrating. I have a hunch that this has some sort of affect on the world as a whole. Just look around you. When was the last time you saw a dad playing at the park with his children? How often do you see a mother with her five little kiddos in the supermarket, and find yourself saying, "Haven't you ever heard of birth control?" We as a culture do not value the family unit like we used to. Individualism has taken root in most cultures, and that may seem fine and dandy. Afterall, it's good to get an honorable education, and it's important to provide for the necessities in life. At this point you're probably asking yourself, "What on earth does this talk about families have anything to do with me?!" The truth is, it has everything to do with everyone. The world may think that families are only important to sustain a healthy society. I beg to differ. If we want to save this world from self destruction, we need to focus on the family. Instead of having a family for society, we need to have a society for the family.