Week 1-2 Population Growth

     During these first two weeks, we have been learning about population growth. Have you ever seen "The New Economic Reality: A Demographic Winter"? If not, you can watch here (http://byutvbeta.byu.edu/watch/59b6b917-984a-478f-93b1-521a647779c4/new-economic-reality-demographic-winter-part-1) It's a documentary refuting the myth that human population is not increasing but rather decreasing. Shortly after the baby boom in WW2, a man named Paul Ehrlich wrote a book about how too many people on the earth would result in mass starvation. It influenced many people and was a popular book. This terrified a lot of people into thinking that having lots of children was an evil thing, like they were going to wreck havoc on our environment. Instead, the opposite is true. When we have less children, our economy is worse because we have less young people taking on jobs. Population is linked to economic growth, and unless technology gets better and we get smarter, it will decrease.
     There are so many theories out there to "scare us" I think because they want to make money or gain power in some way. But, as I have further learned from church leader counsel, that it is not up to us as to how many children we have. It's up to the Lord. Critics may say that having lots of children is "selfish," expensive, or takes away from one's goals/dreams in life. I have thought about this. Could I be happy living alone for the rest of my life? I am pursuing a college degree and I have lots of dreams and goals in life and believe I can sustain myself. However, I do not feel like my life would be complete without having children or a family because being raised in a family has given me more joy and experience than I could imagine. I would not exist without them. It is true that we experience the most joy and sorrow within our families. I would agree with what researchers and church leaders say that the family is the foundation of our society and that teaching children moral principles is essential if we are to thrive. Why is there so much divorce? Why is there so much crime, etc. in the world? In this course, I am exploring Marriage & Family by Lauer that there are practices that protect against these mishaps. I am learning how to protect, defend, and advocate for strong families to help build and maintain a functional society. If we are to have a functional society, we must have functional families. The family is the fundamental unit of society. What do you think? 

Advice of the Week: Love is a spiritual thing
Happiness comes by following direction. If you look for it, it will be harder to find it. You cannot buy it. You can ride a bus instead of a luxurious car and still be happy. In order to have never failing happiness in abundance: 1. Live the Gospel of Jesus Christ full throttle 2. Love your companion more than yourself. "John and Mary, Beginning Life Together" By Spencer W. Kimball