I watched the kids movie Grow the other day and it made me contemplate how many parents have told me that raising kids gave them
-a revival of childlike curiosity and awe towards the world and its creatures
and
-a renewal of that little kid sense of right and wrong that tells you you need to help suffering people and animals when you see them.
I know kids don’t always have this effect on their parents but I wonder what kind of impact having less little ones around will have on society by losing this feedback loop.
One easy example is that bringing home homework often leads to the whole family updating their knowledge—I remember informing my dad that iceberg lettuce had very little nutritional value after learning it in health class!
I want to have kids, but nobody I meet ever does. All they want to do is make tons of money and spend it on traveling and buying luxury goods. Ironically, they are in total denial of this, and tell you that they value ‘experiences’, but what they really value is shallow materialistic pursuits and petty social competitions. They think the idea of having a family and living modestly and having non-shallow relationships is terrifying.
It is depressing as fuck. And the people I meet who are into this lifestyle, are always deeply depressed and anxious and miserable, because they are chasing drugs instead of a mentally healthy lifestyle.
and if i tell them why my lifestyle is more modest and how happy it makes me, they tell me to f myself and I’m a pathetic loser because I’m not posting selfies on IG and making other people jealous of my ‘success’.
I also notice my friend who had kids are just… way more happy and relaxed and enjoy life a lot more than the people I know who didn’t have them.