Post by griffo on May 7, 2021 15:47:07 GMT
www.theoxfordblue.co.uk/2020/04/18/why-you-should-not-have-children-anti-natalism-and-the-fear-of-the-future/
Apparently this view is becoming more common, personally I wouldn't say that everyone should not have children though there might be an optimal level or so.
Apparently this view is becoming more common, personally I wouldn't say that everyone should not have children though there might be an optimal level or so.
In the last couple of years, whether you have noticed it or not, the anti-natalist (kind of anti-giving-birth-to-new-humans) message has penetrated more layers of pop culture than one would perhaps suspect. The obvious brilliant piece of writing that first comes to mind is a quote form the ‘True Detective’ series, in which bitter Texan detective Rust Cohle opens up about his philosophy:
I think human consciousness is a tragic misstep in evolution … the honorable thing for our species to do is deny our programming, stop reproducing, walk hand in hand into extinction, one last midnight – brothers and sisters opting out of a raw deal.
And, this being my personal prediction, the anti-natalist sentiment is bound to resurface after having fallen on a very fertile ground of humanity locked down, left with little doubt as to whether there is any overarching cause or meaning on its side. Once we crawl out from coronavirus isolation, there will be at least a few more who have learned – who see that the deal is raw, and that we really should opt out.
My first reaction to the news about the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdown was that of frustration. Once the outside world, which I always tried to isolate myself from, has imposed itself so vividly on my everyday life, my gut-reaction was to defend myself. I started writing a kind of diary, and was quickly faced with a consistent voice of resentment I exhibited in my on-and-off journaling. Above all, I sought people to blame. It is typical of us human beings, especially under intense psychological stress (so I have heard) though in this case I did not follow the perhaps usual, resentment route. I did not blame China, the USA, the Freemasons, Illuminati or the government of the country I live in for starting or mishandling the situation.
No, I knew who to blame. Our parents.
It is not even that they left the world drastically unprepared for a pandemic, or – stepping briefly into a different category – destroyed the planet, very likely condemning the future (last) generations to the unimaginable dread of seeing the world actually come to an end. No, I rather felt genuine anger at the preceding generation’s small-mindedness in which they decided to just pop us out and leave us like that. No instruction, no guide, no ‘why’ at all. Just to make their lives more valuable (which they did not), to make themselves happy (which they are not because of us). It seems they turned a complete blind eye to life, pretending as if they did not know that it is often hard and unpleasant, brimming with existential anguish.
After that outburst, I remained angry but could no longer find much point in blaming the last generation. After all, every generation of people who had children are to blame. Without my grandparents, my parents would not have done what they did. I do accept that every one of us is determined and consequently that moral responsibility of any kind may be meaningless. But I am, of course, getting ahead of myself.
I think human consciousness is a tragic misstep in evolution … the honorable thing for our species to do is deny our programming, stop reproducing, walk hand in hand into extinction, one last midnight – brothers and sisters opting out of a raw deal.
And, this being my personal prediction, the anti-natalist sentiment is bound to resurface after having fallen on a very fertile ground of humanity locked down, left with little doubt as to whether there is any overarching cause or meaning on its side. Once we crawl out from coronavirus isolation, there will be at least a few more who have learned – who see that the deal is raw, and that we really should opt out.
My first reaction to the news about the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdown was that of frustration. Once the outside world, which I always tried to isolate myself from, has imposed itself so vividly on my everyday life, my gut-reaction was to defend myself. I started writing a kind of diary, and was quickly faced with a consistent voice of resentment I exhibited in my on-and-off journaling. Above all, I sought people to blame. It is typical of us human beings, especially under intense psychological stress (so I have heard) though in this case I did not follow the perhaps usual, resentment route. I did not blame China, the USA, the Freemasons, Illuminati or the government of the country I live in for starting or mishandling the situation.
No, I knew who to blame. Our parents.
It is not even that they left the world drastically unprepared for a pandemic, or – stepping briefly into a different category – destroyed the planet, very likely condemning the future (last) generations to the unimaginable dread of seeing the world actually come to an end. No, I rather felt genuine anger at the preceding generation’s small-mindedness in which they decided to just pop us out and leave us like that. No instruction, no guide, no ‘why’ at all. Just to make their lives more valuable (which they did not), to make themselves happy (which they are not because of us). It seems they turned a complete blind eye to life, pretending as if they did not know that it is often hard and unpleasant, brimming with existential anguish.
After that outburst, I remained angry but could no longer find much point in blaming the last generation. After all, every generation of people who had children are to blame. Without my grandparents, my parents would not have done what they did. I do accept that every one of us is determined and consequently that moral responsibility of any kind may be meaningless. But I am, of course, getting ahead of myself.