There are people who ask “How could I even think about bringing a child into a world this cruel?” And there are people who behave as though that question is utterly baseless and ridiculous. Some in the latter category insist declining global birth rates present an existential threat to civilization, making that a problem we need to solve with all due haste.
Those people are often defenders of the status quo who haven’t noticed that the status quo doesn’t care much about the life or the talent of children who aren’t athletes, musicians, doctors, or lawyers. They defend a culture that has made it so prohibitively expensive to raise and educate a child that many parents buckle under the pressure, often before their child is even born. They defend a culture that prioritizes short-term profit growth over the quest for the complete expression of human talent. They are often the people who usually don’t bother asking questions. Here’s a question—do you want to be one of those people? Have you set out to behave that way? Do you want your children to behave that way, or would you like them to prioritize peak performance and wellbeing through audacity, faith, and integrity?
How committed are you to solving the declining global birth rate? Are you committed enough to reject the status quo? Are you committed enough to update our culture? Are you committed enough to change the way you do business so new parents can be confident in their ability to provide for their children? Are you committed enough pay people a living wage? Are you committed enough to vote for a minimum wage that is livable? Are you committed enough to prioritize the complete expression of talent over compliance? Are you committed enough prioritize long-term profit optimization over short-term profit maximization? Are you committed enough to stop crying “Socialism” anytime someone points out how Capitalism has been corrupted by Corporatism and the Friedman Doctrine?
Are you ready to make fewer declarative statements, and ask more questions about effective strategies for living lives of meaning, fulfillment, and contribution? Are you ready to be curious about why people are reluctant to subject their children to the cruel fate of having their talent go ignored and then wasted? Are you ready to seek out the priorities, strategies, plans, and tactics that can transform the fate of the children born today? Or should we just keep feeding them to the Machine?