Classic Urban Pantheist

[urbpan]

Hey maybe I should save this for next year, but I just blundered on an old post that I think is pretty good and worth sharing again. It's (right around) the ninth anniversary of my physically following through on my principled stand against human reproduction. I explain my rationale here.

Comments

[audacian.livejournal.com]

You have a lot in common with vegans, I think. ;)

I see the appeal and morale behind not having children, but by jebus, I can't turn off the urges. I just hope I don't raise morons. And I promise to use cloth diapers.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Damn I sometimes think it would be nice to be a parent, then I think of the overwhelming expense and responsibility of the two decades after making that decision and the feeling passes.

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

I was not reading you then, so it was good to get to see that.

I would like to believe that my decision to never have children, including having myself sterilized, was based on principle, and sure that's part of it, but I suspect if I'd ever had the tiniest urge to be a parent, that might have eventually overweighed any rational decision, so I can't really take credit for it.

[twirlingtulip.livejournal.com]

Interesting!!!

[lizziebelle.livejournal.com]

I agree 100% with you. I have never had the urge to have children, and most of my friends are child-free as well. Then there's my cousin, who has nine. Nine. They're all great kids, but there's really no need for that. O_o

[morgi.livejournal.com]

Oh hey, the "but We need to outnumber Them" argument.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

My feeling on that is that simply reproducing is no guarantee of creating more of "Us." Making Uses and Thems is a matter of education, not biology.

[roaming.livejournal.com]

Never wanted kids. Don't like 'em. AND I do agree we're too overpopulated . . . unfortunately not with those who decide to have only 1, nor more than 2 kids.

[kryptyd.livejournal.com]

I did not know this about you, and I'm really surprised it only got 11 comments as opposed to when you dare to say anything vaguely critical about cats!

You're right of course. I just read the Future of Life recently. I I thought it was a pretty poor book in loads of ways, but one thing came across in it loud and clear, even though the author was trying very hard to strike a hopeful note for the future. Modern humans have evolved to only care about their immediate clan and the short term future. You see this whenever you try to appeal to a western person to think about their levels of consumption. "But what about China! They have loads of people! But what about Africa! They have loads of kids!" Like fucking toddlers. The ones that care about the planet at large or what's going to happen three generations after they're dead are rare, and I don't think they are getting any more common or are likely to.

That said, I might well have a sprog if it weren't for the recession, so I can't really present my childfree-ness as a moral choice.

[cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com]

lol: http://cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com/86367.html#comments

You are the MAN

[theysuredo.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you know there aren't a ton of like-minded people out there, so it's really nice to (a) know there's one more, and (b) read such an eloquent description of your position on the matter. One of my, "if I were a billionare philanthropist" dreams is to create a foundation that does nothing but pay for vasectomies (or the co-pay if you have good insurance). Jef, if I ever meet you, hit me up for $20!

Re: You are the MAN

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the kind words. I'll take a beer in lieu of 20 bucks. :)