The state has taken the place of family, religion, and community as the supporting pillar of civilization, so children are no longer required to care for their parents
Call me crazy, but I don't think having huge families is that great. I don't think it should be a goal, or an expectation. I think it's better if people feel free to have as many children as they desire, whether that be 5, or 2, or none. I don't think it's feasible (or desirable, or commendable) for children to be expected to care for their parents, especially in cases of advanced illness like dementia or cancer.
I don't think religion is that great either. I wouldn't want to live under a theocratic regime like Persians or Saudis - even if our religion of choice was Christianity, it would still be a massive corruption scheme. The erosion of the church in Canada wasn't caused by outside forces, it was a natural conclusion. It happened because the society moved past the need for it.
I wish community could be more important, but I've lived in so many different provinces and in so many different cities across the country and it was difficult to maintain relationships with people no matter where I went. A lot of Canadians are cold, standoffish, and kinda rude, and it's hard to care about them when they act like this. I used to think that I was the problem, but once I moved out of Canada I started making friends super easily: now, I have a much bigger social life than I did anywhere in Canada. Someone mentioned this a while back in this thread - you really don't know how bad it is until you leave the country for an extended period of time. What I used to consider "friendly" in Canada is what I consider "bare minimum" where I live now.
A friend of mine texts me with lamentations of the dating market where average/above average guys can't even land dates with women of similar status.
Not trying to shit on your friend, but a lot of guys that describe themselves as "average" aren't really average. I have this theory that the poorer people are, or maybe the more expensive the area in which they live, the more boring they are too. Having hobbies and passions is really predicated on having free time or expendable funds, so when everyone is forced to work two jobs and can barely afford a place to live, nobody can be interested in anything. Have you ever tried to go on a date with someone and literally all they do is work, sleep, and use social media? I don't recommend it.
The dating scenes in certain cities are worse than others. I hated dating in Toronto because all the guys were either living at home, stupid, broke, or cocky for absolutely no reason- sometimes they were all 4.
The baby boom of the 1950s was a demographic blip in part because it happened in the wake of a catastrophic global conflict and the postwar boom in the USA and the economic miracles in Europe and Japan.
The baby boom was an anomaly and it's dishonest for statisticians to treat it like the norm. The eternal growth mindset that has plagued our world since the mid-20th century has done a gross disservice to us all.