State pensions were the original sin.

Every generation afterwards has suffered and will suffer the tragedy of the commons until the whole thing unwinds.

The implementation of state pensions means sharing with everyone else the success and productivity of your kids. That inevitably led to more and more people to choose to lower their input into the commons.

People were more and more confortable spending everything without a thought for tomorrow. It became more and more acceptable to have less kids so to not replace the current generation. In short, Generation X and every generation thereafter became the commons that the older generations loot.

Without state pensions, kids take care of their elders and savings make up for the rest. If one is not careful about the future, the future catches up to him or her.

State pensions will eventually go bankrupt and the cycle will repeat a couple generations afterwards. We should've known, but how could we do otherwise when so many kids were sent to die in wars ?

Choose peace and productivity. Choose prosperity. Choose yourself over the commons and the commons will take care of itself.