by 
There are many signs of a culture in decline– one of those is the way it turns inward toward self and away from that which differentiates us from animals– relationships and commitment.
In the garden, it was all about relationship– God’s relationship with man, and man’s relationship with the woman created for him. The two were told to be fruitful, multiply, fill the Earth, and take dominion over it. The sin of eating the fruit soured this relationship, and put at odds people with each other and with God.
One of the leading indicators of the rot of sin and the revolt against the Creator is the inversion of this very creation– when people decide that they do not have to promise fidelity for a lifetime, and instead have sexual relationships outside of marriage. Or now when they don’t:
“More people, [says sociologist Brad Wilcox], are simply detached and on their own. Some women in America have publicly proclaimed that they are distancing themselves from men, abstaining from sex or going ‘boy sober.’… One window into gender tensions is a viral meme on TikTok in which women discuss whether they would rather encounter a bear in the woods or a man. Many go with the bear. Young people are not only marrying less and partnering less; they’re also having less sex…. To me, the fundamental problem is the struggle of men to adapt to a world in which brawn matters less than brains, education and emotional intelligence…. I fear that I’m a romantic in a world that is becoming less romantic.”
Althouse: “[P]erhaps one-third of today’s young Americans will never marry, with couples living together not replacing marriages.”
The ultimate form of pride and selfishness is deciding that we cannot even have time for another or do not want to be a part of another person’s life. We were made to need companionship, and we are at our best in service to others. It rounds us out, makes us whole, and provides purpose. Raising a family teaches us much about ourselves, and accomplishing goals together is similar to what working for a company is about.
History is there for those who show up for it– and increasingly those that stay true to marriage and the creation mandate will prosper.
