tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20283843.post114061188971091363..comments2023-10-19T06:24:41.808-04:00Comments on Joanne's Journey: Preserving Our "Extinct" SocietyJoanne (True Blue)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17445664997050698154noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20283843.post-1141061496329352822006-02-27T12:31:00.000-05:002006-02-27T12:31:00.000-05:00Just want to say Joe, that your post was so well t...Just want to say Joe, that your post was so well thought out and excellent. A joy to read! Keep on posting joe, as we all need this kind of exposure.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20283843.post-1140699795302939882006-02-23T08:03:00.000-05:002006-02-23T08:03:00.000-05:00Yikes! I certainly didn't intend for that to be ta...Yikes! I certainly didn't intend for that to be taken personally! But thnaks for raising that point. I was blaming the current culture that seems to push values of materialism and individual rights more than concern for the greater good. Up until now, the Canadian government has not made much of an effort to encourage people to have children. All the Liberals had to offer was institutionalized daycare, and very little in terms of tax benefits. What is the point of having kids if you're shipping them off to be brainwashed in government day camps all the time? I'm not a big fan of handouts, but how else are we going to encourage people to have children and give them a good start? What if we took all the money spent to fund abortions and handed that over to parents? Make women pay for their own abortions! Why are we enabling the destruction of our own society?<BR/><BR/>Making a decision to have a child is a huge step, and shouldn't be taken out of feelings of guilt or duty. However, society should be helping those who feel drawn to assume this important responsibility. Otherwise, we can say goodbye to the Canada we now know and love.Joanne (True Blue)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17445664997050698154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20283843.post-1140661200498405822006-02-22T21:20:00.000-05:002006-02-22T21:20:00.000-05:00Well, that is a very challenging topic for conside...Well, that is a very challenging topic for consideration. This post makes me feel kind of guilty -- particularly things like "..prevalent liberal attitude of self-indulgence and self-centeredness has been so entrenched in our collective psyche that we see children as either a financial drain.." because that hits home, perhaps more than I would like to admit.<BR/><BR/>I appreciate the addition of, "I also wanted to make the point that I don't believe that every couple in Canada should decide to have babies for the sake of the country" because I was getting the impression that was included in what you were implying. I appreciate the challenging message of this post and I will take its points into consideration and give it further thought.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20283843.post-1140639847599861882006-02-22T15:24:00.000-05:002006-02-22T15:24:00.000-05:00Very good points, Joe. Integration and assimilatio...Very good points, Joe. Integration and assimilation of Western values by immigrants would be an excellent goal, but as long as the "cultural mosaic" model is enforced, this will be difficult. Large cities in particular seem vulnerable to the clustering of various ethnic groups with the result that segregation is firmly entrenched. This can sometimes be harmless, and even useful to enrich the community, but when the prevailing attitudes are in direct opposition to Western laws and standards, we then have a problem. Crime and violence can ensue.<BR/><BR/>I also wanted to make the point that I don't believe that every couple in Canada should decide to have babies for the sake of the country. It is a highly personal and irrevokable responsibility. We do need, however, to stress the importance of children in society and the value of human life.Joanne (True Blue)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17445664997050698154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20283843.post-1140632986901613222006-02-22T13:29:00.000-05:002006-02-22T13:29:00.000-05:00Bravo Joanne! This is arguably the most important ...Bravo Joanne! This is arguably the most important issue facing this (and subsequent) generations. Radically individualistic and materialistic nihilism has come home to roost and Westerners are going extinct. Most Western European states are much further along the demographic decline than Canada. Only the US has a break-even birth rate. Western countries need to intentionally grapple with this issue in all its facets and complexities. The bottom line is simple - whoever has the most babies will populate the future. <BR/><BR/>I think there are at least three aspects to the required public discourse:<BR/>1. Defining Western Values<BR/>2. Preserving Western values<BR/>3. Correcting Western Values<BR/> <BR/><B>1. Defining Western Values</B><BR/>We Canadians (along with other Westerners) take our freedom and prosperity for granted. We invest almost no thought whatsoever to understanding the historic values upon which our freedom and prosperity were founded and are currently sustained. As a result, we are blind-sided by the social ills that attend the unnoticed decline of these common values. We Canadians need to actually think about, understand, promote and preserve the common values that make our society work.<BR/><BR/><B>2. Preserving Western values</B><BR/>Once we've correctly defined our essential values, we need to promote and preserve these values that make our society work. We need to ensure that immigrants (whoever they are) adopt these values and that they are thoroughly integrated with (not segregated from) mainstream Canadian society.<BR/><BR/><B>3. Correcting Western Values </B><BR/>You rightly point the discussion towards changing values, philosophy and world-view. The decline of traditional values is the root cause of the "baby bust" and many other social ills. Materialism, individualism and nihilism are deeply entrenched in our culture and collective psyche and it will take some kind of spiritual revolution to restore them. We need to critically examine the fragmentation and decline of our values and work hard to restore them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com