Thread by @sometimesalight

Following up on previous threads:

Meredith is right about the ingenious design of menstruation. Which brings up another point about how life in modern west is often detached from basic realities of embodiment.

https://twitter.com/meredith_storrs/status/1336337996660965386

There is inherent tie btwn fertility & surrounding ecosystem. But in modern west, we tend to frame reproduction almost entirely a matter of choice & as an individual venture. We miss the degree to which fertility is also a MEASURE of an environment's ability to sustain life.

This means many things, but at most basic level, fertility rates across a community must be examined communally. We must ask why certain ecosystems, societies, & cultures produce certain rates.

For example, conservatives sometimes view drop in fertility rate as proof that modern couples don't prioritize family or are somehow selfish/consumptive.

This might be part of the equation. But there are other Qs: Why does life in the modern west result in certain fertility rates? Is it all result of skewed ideological, the sum total of individual choices rooted in consumption? Or is more going on?

Is it possible that life in modern west puts limits on fertility in form of demands on time, necessary resources, social expectations, etc.? To what degree is fertility rate an individual choice vs a feature of environmental scarcity?

I'm grateful for folks engaging in conversations about embodiment, especially as it relates to faith & practice. But when we do, don't be surprised if these convos challenge a whole host of things we take for granted. Don't be surprised if we have to Q the shape of our society.