Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparrow
... tugging on a single, potent, nagging cultural heartstring is a desire to continue my family line; an obligation i don't necessarily resent. it's a real thing, but i can't be sure it isn't bullshit ...
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That's always seemed like the most bullshit reason of all to me. Why is any family line so important? Why is any set of genes so important? That kind of thinking should have died out when we realized there was no such thing as "blue blood" and Prince Charles, bless him, is just some bloke who got a rock solid education. Unless I'm some superbrain or superathlete why would I give a shit about passing my particular genes on? That path is the one of pure, dumb ego.
I say this as someone who's lucky enough to love the shit out of his whole family by the way. Both parents and all of my siblings. As someone who knows my own awesome parents would love me to have my own kids. It's not an "obligation" though.
There is no obligation.
So the best reason to have kids is the same as the best reason to do pretty much anything.
Do it if you think it'll make the world a better place. Will it mean giving more than you take? Do you think you will bring up a kid or kids who will give more than they take? Maybe you feel your best path to making the world a better place doesn't involve having kids. Maybe you feel you can do more good if you're able to spend your positive energy somewhere other than child-rearing.
In the past there have been times where a country, or the world in general, needed more human beings. We are not living in those times. We are living in the opposite of those times. If anything a
looooooooot of science suggests there are way too many new humans being made for this planet to handle already.
Then again, word on the street is being a parent is some kind of magical.