I'm partial to number 2 as well, though I would add that having children is widely reported to increase "happiness" or "fulfillment" with the caveat that those concepts and self-report are very wishy/washy.
Re:Joy of Being a Woman in Her 70s
by toasterlovin on Monday January 14, 2019 @05:26PM
(#18907121)
FWIW, I've found that viewing bringing children into this world as a kind of higher calling has done a pretty good job of counteracting the daily stresses of raising children.
Based on countless examples in history, the same thing seems to be true for basically anything… Murder, rape, genocide, withstanding or inflicting abuse or torture are all much easier for people to bear mentally if they believe it is part of a greater goal.
Re:Joy of Being a Woman in Her 70s
by toasterlovin on Monday January 14, 2019 @10:56PM
(#18908760)
There’s a pretty big difference between justifying something you want to do and making yourself feel better about something that you don’t want to do.
What are you saying the difference is?
Re:Joy of Being a Woman in Her 70s
by toasterlovin on Tuesday January 15, 2019 @12:37PM
(#18913030)
It's the difference between good and evil.
However, your comment could be actionable in a number of ways, for example:
1. "You should embrace the intensity to make sure you reproduce."
2. "You should understand the source of that intensity as something that might oppose your goal of happiness."
3. "You should accept the biological inevitability of that intensity."
I'm partial to number 2. Even if the calculus of reproduction is straight forward, how that should inform your life choices is not.