| > I could be gravely mistaken and be a victim of living in a filter bubble. Of course. Sounds that way to me. Fertility goes down when women enter the workforce and have access to contraceptives. This is also when countries become prosperous. There's no reason to have five children when childhood mortality is low, pregnancy isn't risky, and you can have sex without getting pregnant. I don't believe the whole "cost of living is going up" stuff that millennials constantly whine about. It's perfectly affordable to live in most places in the US. Millenials are victims of the college loan scam, i.e. going into debt for a worthless degree because "that's what you're supposed to do". They, their parents, the government, and especially the colleges are complicit in this victimization. > But it's what I am seeing periodically and it worries me. People just don't care that much for making kids or looking for jobs since it all just guarantees suffering and sacrifices and nothing much else. This kind of nihilism is related to affluence. It infects most people who go through the college system and never experience any struggle. > Many elderly people tell me that they regularly chat with their kids (now 30-45) and are convinced that having a fulfilling life was easier even as back as 20-30 years ago. They might be right. Again, this has to do with affluence and not the "world being worse/more expensive/etc". Happiness is related to struggle. Wearing yourself out, renewing your energy (sleeping), and then doing it all over again is the source of all sustained happiness. Increasingly, many people can opt out of this cycle, and it's making them miserable. |