Zero Population

Don’t you just love the idea of Zero Population? The idea that the world is too crowded, if we keep creating more human life, we will run out of resources. If we were “smart people” we would not have any children, because children are resource-suckers. It certainly takes a genius to figure out that if you stop having children, you stop having adults. Great idea! Let’s save the world by removing the human race! Brilliant! Animals aren’t that dumb. They know to reproduce, to create new life, so life can continue on as it was meant to. Sometimes I wonder about people – what are they thinking?

I was pondering this today as I was running through a very nice neighborhood (nice meaning million-dollar homes). It was garbage day. I noticed how much garbage these homes were producing. Each home had at least two garbage cans - most homes had five or more. I have been traveling through this neighborhood for over a month now and I have seen who lives there. It is mostly older people - with no children. The weird thing is, it never seems like anyone is home? Anyhow, I got to thinking, (I do that every now and again). How wasteful. All of these houses producing so much garbage!

I have a family of five. We put out one garbage can each week, including diapers and all that “family stuff”. We changed our light bulbs to energy efficient ones, we try to conserve water, walk our children to school, and ride bikes to work. In our frugality, we may just save a tree somewhere. We do our best to be as Earth friendly as possible. As a result, we have saved enormously on our energy bills and we are also benefiting from the exercise. Yes, our family of five.

We just recently moved from an apartment building. On garbage day we would marvel at the amount of trash being thrown away. Single people were producing two to three times the amount of trash as our whole family. We also noticed that they would often drive around enormous trucks and other such gas-guzzling vehicles. We shove our family into a five-passenger fuel-efficient car.

It is so imbalanced. It is often single (or childless) people that drive around in big family cars and live in big family houses. While many with families drive single-style cars and live in single-style homes. I should mention, I am speaking mostly of Americans. If only there could be a great switch. If only there could be balance in “The Force”. You cannot take away agency from people. Hence, it will never change – unless we chose to change.

So, as far as Zero Population is concerned, it is not children that are the problem - it is wasteful people. I could have ten children and live a more Earth friendly life than some single, childless people do. As far as children are concerned, count me out on the nixing of them. I will have as many as I can, and be proud to do it. I will consider myself friends with Mother Nature, and with her in mind I will teach my many children to love and care for the Earth. We were sent here to do just that - to be caretakers of the Earth. Animals cannot do that – people must. So, I will do my part to fight against the idea of Zero Population. Children are truly our future. I will do my part in securing the future of the human race and the planet that was created for us to dwell upon. Bring on the children!