Samuel Sanders6 said:I’ll try to keep this brief, and hopefully, I won't wander too far off track. I’m avoiding the Parenting subforum because I’m more interested in hearing from the younger crowd—those of you who might actually be considering starting a family in a few years.
This is a global question, though I suspect my own perspective is heavily colored by what we're seeing here in the States.
So, here it is: The big one. Do you actually want to bring one, two, three, or more children into this increasingly brutal world?
Now, don't get me wrong—I'm not claiming things were perfect in the past and everything is falling apart now. But if you look at the macro trends, we seem to be heading in a downward direction. Human connection is fraying, and the gap between the boss and the worker is widening; projections suggest we'll see even more billionaires and even more people living paycheck to paycheck.
We move from the grueling grind of modern education and those empty promises of upward mobility straight into a daily struggle just to stay afloat. Eventually, you find yourself asking why you're even working in the first place. Is it just to survive?
I think I’ve made my point. :P
I suppose I should probably find some words to express what I'm thinking, though it's proving a bit difficult at the moment.
Observing the young people I work with, I can't help but feel that their path isn't easy, yet they somehow manage to find their footing in this relentless, unforgiving modern world. I am certainly not suggesting that things were simpler in previous generations; everyone has always had to fight to find their own place in the sun, but the reality is that the landscape has shifted significantly. It perhaps feels to us that the struggle is more intense than it used to be, though I wonder if that is merely our own perception.
I suspect that parenting has actually become significantly more taxing in this day and age, largely because it feels nearly impossible to monitor what children are doing during their downtime or in those quiet, late-night hours when they are tucked away online. Everything is right at their fingertips, yet parents remain largely oblivious to the constant stream of content their children are being exposed to daily. It seems to me that, perhaps more than ever before, a child's character is being shaped by their environment—with the media serving as the primary architect.
Perhaps I am overthinking things; maybe the whole situation isn't quite as complicated as it appears to me.
Donna White50 As stated by:
The fundamental truth is that we are meant to bring new life into this world; it is a biological necessity, a natural progression, and quite simply, the most normal thing in existence.
It feels somewhat irrational to believe that we should refrain from having children simply because the world can be such a harsh and unforgiving place.
The world has always been a harsh place, and truth be told, it likely always will be; we face endless cycles of war, famine, economic collapses, and disease, yet despite all that suffering, humanity somehow persists through the ages and will continue to endure.
Life itself is our greatest wealth, and without the renewal of new life, there can be no future for us to look forward to.
The West has become lost in its own megalomaniacal selfishness, living with an air of superiority that ignores the reality of the rest of the world. Today’s generations seem to have lost the desire to build anything lasting or to raise children, choosing instead to prioritize personal indulgence and immediate gratification over responsibility; they simply want the best for themselves without any of the heavy lifting, often asking questions that lack any real substance, much like the author of this thread. It seems we will always find a thousand different excuses just to justify our selfish need for comfort and ease. By its very definition, life isn't supposed to be comfortable—it is harsh, and only the most resilient can truly endure it. We have become soft, weak, and blinded by our own self-interest compared to the rest of the globe, and I fear we are paying the price through a slow, deserved decline. Slowly but surely, the space is being reclaimed by those who continue to build lives despite their fears and challenges, proving through their actions that they are stronger, more resourceful, and better adapted to survive.
Life possesses a certain stubborn resilience and an incredible capacity to adapt; I truly believe we should never fear for our children’s future, as they will navigate any adversity, much as we have done ourselves. It seems to me that any family unable to raise at least two or three children is failing to repay the generational debt owed to the world, essentially living off a surplus of selfishness while consuming resources that belong to the future. There are no absolute guarantees in this life—war, famine, economic collapses, or pandemics could turn paradise into a wasteland overnight—yet even in such darkness, humanity finds a way to persist, often with a renewed, primal vigor that feels almost biologically inevitable. There is a profound drive in those who have nothing to build and create their way out of hardship, whereas those who already possess everything often fall into a lethargy, focused only on preserving their existing status and power.
I must say, I am truly humbled to hear that my posts consistently resonate with you in such a meaningful way. 🍿