The paradigm shift between our ancestors' love and our love.

The differences between the adults who were our grandparents, who were in their 30s and 40s back in the 70s and who created us, and us who are now in our 30s and 40s, are ultimately few and far between, in my opinion.

Of course, our ancestors did not have nor face the same problems we face in today's world. That's not realistic, considering how much and how many things have changed since then, including how we view the world and dating as a whole.

In my opinion, the biggest difference is the fact that the problems our ancestors faced were more worldly problems—problems outside themselves—that they could only overcome and effect change if they did it as a unit, you know, together. I think the fact that they so greatly needed to lean on each other and depend on each other to make this world a better place for you and me made them love more patiently, love harder, love deeper, love stronger, hence the baby boom.

I can assure you there will not be another baby boom in this world as we know it. Today’s 30-40-something-year-olds (you can even throw the 50s in here too), unlike the ones before us, like to pretend that our worldly problems and issues exist as no part of us. They are there, but we ignore them no matter how clear they are. Also, unlike the ones before us, the things we prioritize are all internal. We prioritize what we want, not need, how to get it, how to get as much of it as possible, and what we have to do to get it all, regardless of the destruction and other people we have to use and sometimes ruin to get it.

It applies not only to men, not only to women, but to all of humanity. Whatever your vice is—money, power/status, or sex (usually the big three we all fall under at least one), among many other things—whatever it is, it is because of this shift and change in core values that the marriage rate is down (which is the only reason the divorce rate is down, coincidentally), why there are fewer babies being born every year, and why more people are single and single later in life than our ancestors were. To our own detriment and destruction, we become more independent and selfishly focused on our own needs, not the needs of the world and, most importantly, the future.

It is for this reason that there's a monumental shift in how humans love each other today compared to how they loved each other back in the day. I guess that leads to the question of where the shift happened. Where was that change? Where did our ancestors go wrong at some point in raising us that they didn't pass that along to us. I guess I better get back to the books and research.

Let me know what your opinion is on this....