I'd like to discuss the topic of procreation in the current times. Should we continue to keep having kids? If so, how many? Why do people procreate in such a crowded and struggling world? Is it dharmic to keep having kids knowing that more people equals more mouths to feed, more resources to consume, and more space to take up in an already-crowded world? I would also like to know what people's opinions are on sex without procreation. This can and perhaps should all be done from a Hindu perspective.
My opinion is that dharmically-minded people should not have kids and not even one (from this point forward). First, you are responsible for the spiritual upbringing of the child. Regardless of the child's karma, the society is becoming more and more devoid of any spirituality and mentally-diseased. I don't believe that a spiritually-minded person would want to have kids in such a hostile environment. Surely such souls can go to other planets.
Second, chances are you are unable to provide a proper material upbringing for the child. This is because (regardless of country) our educational systems, labor systems, and political systems are for the most part bogus and more harmful than good. Not to mention culture. I would want a child exposed to a healthy society where education, labor, politics, and culture were focused on higher thinking and simpler living, giving, serving, loving, and showing kindness. Not a world where "getting ahead" is the king of everything else.
Third, there are too many people. The world does not need billions of people regardless of their spiritual consciousness. Even if everyone is truly spiritual, billions are not needed on one small planet. Our human society has no goals, no direction, and no purpose other than to keep reproducing, consuming, and spreading. Just because everyone else is reproducing, consuming, and spreading does not mean that you need to do the same. Going back to point one, if your argument is that you can produce a spiritually-minded child, there are no guarantees and the chances are very slim. While you can provide a limited environment, karma and maya are more powerful.
Fourth, having kids seem for the most part ego-based in this day and age. The only logical reason I see that people are producing is because they want to carry on their genes, name, family heritage, and have the title of father/mother, and receive credit and societal approval for their "accomplishment." Simple observance shows me that societal approval is the dominating factor. Everyone else is reproducing, so why shouldn't you? My conclusion is that in this point the reason people should not have kids is because there is absolutely no purpose in having kids. The world doesn't need more kids and most people are just having kids to fit in with everyone else. There is no purpose to more kids and people who wish to have a life with purpose shouldn't do stuff that has no purpose. They shouldn't have kids. They should use the time, money, and energy normally wasted on adding one more number to overcrowd the masses instead on pious charitable activites such as spending such "time, money, and energy" on those who are already living and less fortunate than you.
In order to conclude my point, a spiritually-minded person and particularlly a karma yogi who is interest in helping the world should start actually serving the world instead of simply increasing the amount of people that need to be taken care of. ~BYS~
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