Children

Reading over my last post, I realized that I sounded a little overzealous. Yes, I believe that over-population is something the world needs to be concerned with. And although I have chosen not to have children myself, I can still understand something of the need to have them: to watch a part of myself grow and become their own person; to know that part of myself will live on; to be able to love a person simply because they are a part of myself, an extension of my life, an expression of the love I feel for my husband. The fact remains, though, that as part of the educated world I believe this is a responsibility as much as a right. To have a child simply for the sake of having one is to do a disservice not only to the child, but also to the world that that child must live in. I come from a fairly large family by today's standards, and I love each and every one of my nieces and nephews, to say nothing of my siblings and my stepson; perhaps I love them more precisely because I know I won't have children. Where is that line between love and social consciousness? When does one have to begin thinking of the world as it will be in the future and not just the world as I wish it to be? Comments, anyone?