Babies, life, the world...

Hello all, long time no see... 

I'm getting back into the swing of things after a long time on sick leave/sabbatical, so more posts will start trickling through soon. 

this one is a comment I wrote on Colin's No Impact Man Blog- about the issue of procreation, and the strain it puts on the environment, and the way this is a kind of taboo issue for many people/groups. It is a difficult one, here are my (pretty personal) thoughts. 

you can see the original post and other comments at http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2008/12/individual-acti.html

Thank you for the post Colin, I think it is an issue which needs a lot more discussion, and like many such topics, it is hard to approach- it is incredibly emotional and personal, but I think, equally important.

This question is one that I have grappled with a lot, and actually led to one of my lowest points in the last few years, when at one stage I decided that I would not have children, because as well as not wanting to add to the strain on the earth’s resources, I didn’t want to bring a small person into a world where I might not be able to protect them, or provide them with a stable environment where they could lead a happy and meaningful life… and this was a very sad decision to come to. It makes my heart ache.

And a friend accused me of giving up on the world, she saw it as not investing any of myself in the future. I took some offence to this, as my career and most of my personal life is spent in researching and promoting pathways to sustainability. I saw it as a decision from a realist point of view. We don’t know what the future holds, and many predictions look bleak, at least.

But loving children and wanting to be part of the life of one of my own is such a huge part of how I picture my future, how a lot of us picture the future I think- that thinking about this was incredibly painful.

So I have decided to wait a few more years and if I feel the same way, and if I still decide not to have children, definitely give my love and the knowledge I’ve gained over my life to children I bond with, possibly through fostering children or adoption (if this is feasible), as well as to my cousins and the babies of friends. I think I would burst otherwise. Too much love!                    

on a separate note, I think we should continue to celebrate the motivation and passion that parenthood brings to so many people in this area- my mum, who has been my greatest inspiration in environmental action, was initially motivated to seek information and take action when I (her oldest child) was born- and this is a story we hear over and over- that it is the point for many people when denial or distraction is no longer viable- having a baby is when long term futures become real in our imagination- and we are suddenly hugely invested in them. And this is a fantastic thing. 

Ps. Happy Birthday Mum! thanks for being so inspiring. and for just being you. 

Comments

[fiona]

mmmm babies.....
(sorry, that wasn't very intellectual)

[Anna]

hey, it's babies, hard to be intellectual, all you want to do is cuddle and make them laugh. babies!