How Russia Can Raise Its Fertility Rate to Israel's Level
Contrary to common belief, high fertility rates are not exclusive to the ultra-Orthodox Jewish population. Secular and traditional families in Israel have more children than families in Russia and Western countries.
Russia's total fertility rate (TFR) is 1.3, while the global average is about 2, and Israel has reached 3 — a figure that even exceeds that of almost all Muslim neighbors of Israel. In traditionally called "developed" countries, Israel is the only one with such a high fertility rate.
Not long ago, I read the works of Vasiliy Vasilevich Rozanov, a philosopher of the Silver Age and chief paradox researcher. His fundamental and paradoxical masterpiece, "People of Moonlight" («Люди лунного света»). Nowadays, when someone "focuses on" topics related to sex, we instinctively think of Freud. But friends, we actually have something to be proud of — we have Rozanov, just as Lev Trotsky might have called him "a master of sexual matters" («половых дел мастер»).
There was a time when the Tsarist regime banned one of Rozanov's published books and destroyed the entire book. This move made Rozanov a "superstar." Later, he wrote two new books based on the destroyed book, one of which was "People of Moonlight" — at that time, the people of the Russian Empire queued up to buy it.
In short, Vasiliy Vasilevich's core idea is to place sexual desire at the center of human civilization. "Be fruitful and multiply" («Плодитесь и размножайтесь») — this was the survival model of ancient Jews (humans in the Old Testament era). In fact, there are countless references to this theme in the Bible, but for us who rarely read the scriptures now, these contents seem to clash with the tone of the "scriptures."
For example: "Abram had lived in the land of Canaan for ten years, and his wife Sarai gave her Egyptian servant Hagar to Abram as a wife." (Genesis 16:3)
Or: "Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent and took her as his wife. Isaac was comforted after his mother's death." (Genesis 24:67)
Or again, the more evocative descriptions in the Song of Songs: "Your neck is like the tower of David, built with shields, on which hang a thousand bucklers, all the shields of the mighty. Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle."
According to Rozanov, people in the Old Testament era identified themselves through "sex" and regarded attraction to the opposite sex as a way to become human and fulfill their sole core mission. Things that may seem to carry a "desire" color (regardless of positive or negative connotations) for us were natural essence of life for those in the Old Testament era. There is obviously a religious significance here — Jews, past and present, believe that through the whole nation's passionate efforts, the Messiah will eventually come.
I am an Orthodox Christian and have been baptized. Therefore, discussing such topics from this identity inevitably leads me into "sensitive areas." But please forgive my brothers and sisters, as a sinner with seven emotions and desires, I cannot avoid talking about this.
Different from Jews, Christians have already welcomed the Messiah over two thousand years ago, and Christ is with us. This means that the commandment of "be fruitful and multiply" from the Old Testament, although still important, is no longer the core principle of human existence (the principle of ontology and anthropology). "Salvation" has become very personal, leading to a group of people for whom marriage and childbearing are no longer essential. The monastic system of Eastern Orthodoxy is like this: from the early Church Fathers to many monks today, they are all models of "approaching God in an individual way." As our great saint Sergius of Sarov said: "Let your soul find peace, and a hundred people around you will also be saved."
Perhaps some people will object: "But until the early 20th century, people had many children!" That's correct.
But in Christianity, monasticism has always been the path of a minority of "chosen ones" — only those truly endowed with such talent can take this path. To put it politely, not everyone can become a monk, let alone receive the necessary blessing.
However, for ordinary believers in Christian civilization (non-monks), building a family to approach God was once the most natural and reasonable way. Large families symbolized "trusting in God's will," and the concept of "family planning" that we take for granted today was completely unfamiliar to traditional societies. However, for Christians, having children is no longer the only way to salvation — unlike people in the Old Testament era, who saw sexual behavior itself as sacred, because in their minds, it would promote the coming of the Messiah.
Thus, for over two thousand years, family and childbirth have ceased to be the only path to salvation. Later, as "God" was removed from modern society, "reason" and "science" became new idols, and the concept of "following God's will" became redundant. In this new "de-sacralized" world, everything must go "according to my will": I plan my life, I mechanize and bureaucratize it, removing all chance — because chance (which is real life) disrupts my plans. How can I have seven children without any plan? Only by firmly believing "God is my manager" («Господь – мой менеджер»), allowing God to arrange everything, can it be achieved. God will take care of everything. But who lives like that nowadays? If everything goes according to plan, then at most two children, or even one, or maybe choosing not to have children at all. After all, children could be an "unexpected" accident — what if the child gets sick? I had originally planned to go to the beach in Thailand during this time.
Today's Jews, of course, are moving steadily along the path of "consumer society construction," and their secularization of social life is advancing comprehensively. However, the profound influence of the sacred commandment from the Old Testament, "be fruitful and multiply" («Плодитесь и размножайтесь»), and the expectation of the Messiah (every Jew can and should participate in the "coming of the Messiah") — these factors are still at work. That's why Israel's total fertility rate reaches 3, and I emphasize again, Russia's fertility rate is only half of that, and the global average is only 2.
Moreover, as mentioned earlier, high fertility rates are not exclusive to the ultra-Orthodox Jewish population. Secular and traditional families in Israel also have more children than families in Russia and Western countries.
Now, all global statistics show that any economic measures or various "rational incentives for fertility" methods are ultimately ineffective in the long run. These methods stem from the erroneous belief in "mechanizing and bureaucratizing life planning." The only effective way to bring large families back is to let each person's life once again have God. Believe firmly in "God is my manager" («Господь – мой менеджер»)!
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7562767478774923811/
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