To all those of breeding age who are considering starting a family or adding yet another human child to this already dangerously over-crowded world, I politely urge you, with all due respect, to please think again. If not for the fragile planet’s sake or for the sake of every other struggling life form headed for mass extinction, then for the child’s sake, your sake and for sanity’s sake. Go ahead and adopt, whether human or non-human, but please don’t add to every environmental woe known to—and caused by—man by falling prey to the ill-advised notion that propagating is our duty or prerogative.
The world as we know it is headed for collapse. Do you really want your precious offspring to witness the unraveling of all of Earth’s systems or suffer the reckoning that’s soon to befall those unfortunate enough to be here when humankind’s self-serving environmental crimes come back on them? Can’t you see that the sheer weight of the human race is crushing everything and everyone else?
As a good friend, a young woman wise beyond her years, put it, those who consider reproducing to be a positive prospect for the twenty-first century “must be closing their eyes, plugging up their ears, and singing ‘Lalalala!’ very loudly.”
What goes up must come down, people; and for the past couple of hundred years or so, the human population has been accelerating skyward—breaking all sound barriers in a headlong quest to defy gravity, burst out of the Earth’s atmosphere and sail on to oblivion—taking all of creation with it.
Exposing the Big Game 
i wonder
how many children
are actually “planned”? 🙂
Of course there are several safe ways to prevent it…
as a retired public health officer
i can’t agree with you more!
Thanks, glad to hear it.
Thank you for this important blog post. Choosing NOT to procreate is the most obvious and fundamental animal rights truth there is, in my opinion. Every human born spells suffering for animals, EVEN if that human is raised vegan (and I know too many vegans who insanely haven’t raised their children vegan, so even that isn’t a guarantee). The survival of our planet depends upon people embracing and understanding this truth.
You’re so right!
Well I for one will not be having kids.
First reason is pragmatic. I simply don’t believe the world needs any more people in it.
Second reason is personal. There is a history of mental health problems and personality “issues” on both sides of my family and I have been hit with a double dose of it. In my case, severe depression which I cannot bear to risk passing down to another, either that, or have any offspring turn into a complete bastard like my own father was.
If I change my mind on the matter, there is always adoption.
Unfortunately my suspicions would indicate that only those with the “intelligence” genes would understand and perhaps practice this, so where would an enlightened group evolve from in order to repair(if possible) any damage?
An excellent and much-needed article.
David (childless!)
Thank you for doing your part
thanks for this Jim- the bottom line is that having your own kids is selfishness- personified. Why else would you have them? People who say they “love” kids should adopt(’cause there will always human “breeders”) Those of us who chose not to have kids pay an enormous of amount of taxes to care for “other peoples kids”-e.g. schools, crisis centers, etc. This culture goes ga-ga over babies, and forgets that they all grow up to be adults, who for the most part are self-centered,violent “consumers”. Humans are really good at “controlling” other animals, not so good at doing the same for our own cancerous species though. By the way, I have nothing against the kids, just more of them, its not their fault they were born and SOME of them do turn out ok.
Thanks Deb, I concur.