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📆 7 Jan 2023 | ⏱️ 3 minute read
The United Nations estimated that the world population exceeded eight billion by November 2022. The maximum number earth can sustainably support given current technology and lifestyles is less than half that. Assuming everyone wants a European standard of living, the maximum is probably less than a third or a quarter of the current population.
Therefore it makes absolutely no sense that mainstream culture (natalist culture) encourages, celebrates, and in some places expects women to have children. Mainstream culture has not caught up with what we know is happening to our environment as a result of there being too many people. Natalist culture is destroying our human way of life. It's a kind of collective insanity everyone is agreeing to participate in.
The cost of sanity is being maladjusted to this self-destructive mainstream natalist culture. To be "well-adjusted" to natalist culture is to be complicit with those ushering in the destruction of modern civilization. It's going to the baby shower, putting on a happy face, and congratulating the parents for doing something you know to be wrong. It's encouraging your children to have kids because you want grandchildren, even though those grandchildren may not have a habitable planet to live on.
Thanks to this self-destructive culture, it's considered unacceptable to tell people they shouldn't have children. It's socially acceptable to point out overpopulation, but it's taboo to take that reasoning to its natural conclusion and say "Therefore having children harms civilization and you shouldn't do it." I'm not in favor of people being forced not to have kids, but everyone needs to stop having kids.
We need to honestly acknowledge, as a species, that having kids isn't inherently good. Your future child may die a drug addict. They might have birth defects and be forever dependent on you. You might regret having them. They may hate their lives. They may end up as wage slaves or in prison. They may end up victims of trauma or a totalitarian state with no freedom or privacy. Is it really worth it to put all that effort in for someone who will potentially wind up miserable when there are people already suffering who you could help instead?
At this point in time, having children is environmentally irresponsible and it shouldn't be taboo for me to say that. If you're thinking of having children, I have a very clear message for you: don't.
To close out, I found a website during my research for this entry called Stophavingkids.org. It gives a solid list of reasons not to have children[1] and also lists some selfish reasons people have children[2] which aren't in the best interests of the child. I don't agree, as the website claims, that it's always wrong in principle to have children or that consent is a relevant factor, but I am aligned on many other points. So have a look.
🔗 1: solid list of reasons not to have children
🔗 2: selfish reasons people have children
Copyright 2019-2023 Nicholas Johnson. CC BY-SA 4.0.