Also, having kids is generally not the difference between having to work or not—most people have to work for a living regardless of family status. It's just that the stakes are higher when you have dependents.
Look, out of all the people who come into this world, how many people can we say were a net positive for this planet? I see that you are currently at Airbnb. Great. You are lining your pockets, but I'm not sure what the net benefit to this planet is. If I have children, the chances are great that they were just resource consumers and waste producers. There are too many people on this planet, and chances are my having kids will make this problem worse. Of course, on a local scale, your children will add love to your life, you will help them out financially, they will live at home with their parents as adults, etc. This is not being selfless. You are helping your progeny which is, ultimately, selfish. What is truly selfless is to meaningfully help someone who has no connection to you. Fight for the poor, support countries that are being terrorized by aggressor countries, adopt a shelter animal, etc. That is truly selfless. Having kids--selfish. Look at Elon Musk and his 10+ kids.
> the decision to have kids is a personal choice.
And I choose not to burden the world with my own children. I've had numerous exchange students, adopted shelter animals, and I'm volunteering at a local shelter. I'm not under any illusion that my life here is going to be a net positive for the planet, but I am trying really hard. Having children, with the traditional notions about it that you regurgitated, is a vice when you consider that we are reaching our planet's capacity for supporting all of us. Ruining other planets such as Mars, I don't feel is a morally acceptable choice.
But you responded to a thread where someone was expressing the considerations they have about why being laid off is personally scary to them. Using that to grind your axe about whichever of their life choices you find morally dubious is the heartless part.
It's not really surprising though since your first reaction to my comment was to look at my profile and cherry-pick something to condemn me with.
It's your fault for having children [overpop, resource exhaustion]
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It's your fault for not having children [low-birthrates]
back to
It's your fault for having children [whatever this is]I think a lot of the "low-birthrate" fearmongering is just a way to distract people.
Overpopulation was projected to be an issue, but we actually addressed it pretty well over the last 50-75 years and global average birth rates are in a pretty good place now.