As a phenomenon that’s both global and local, the demographic dip into depopulation is a tide turning quietly yet pervasively. UN data echoes the foresight of demographers who, decades earlier, projected a shift from burgeoning populations to contractions, especially in affluent, technologically advanced nations. The streets of Manila may buzz with youth and vibrancy, obscuring the bigger picture that globally, even in corners of the Philippines, a demographic quietude looms.
In less than a generation, the picture UN data paints suggest that shrinking populations won’t be anomalies but part of the world’s standard sociodemographic fabric, akin to the once extraordinary now mundane – high literacy rates or the ubiquity of obesity. What strikes me is the silent encroachment of this change; in the Philippines, where the thrum of life seems ceaseless, the notion of depopulation feels almost heretical.
This demographic decline is not a distant future’s tale but a present narrative unfolding, shaping how societies operate, economies burgeon or buckle, and cultures adapt or resist. It’s a heresy against the old doctrine of perpetual growth, a fundamental rethinking of what progress means when fewer voices will echo in tomorrow’s halls. While it may not resonate with the daily hustle, it’s a change that warrants watching, understanding, and preparing for – with foresight, adaptation, and perhaps a touch of ingenuity.
Read more at: The Heresy of Decline - Long Now
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