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Future carnage

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Letter - From the October 27, 2008 issue by Fred Wyman

The toll that humans take on the rest of the planet has bothered me for quite some time (hcn, 10/13/08). I am 50 years old and remember an article in my weekly reader in about third grade (circa 1967) about the population explosion. It troubled me enough then and since that i decided not to procreate.

Non-procreation is the only solution, and it never fails to baffle me how "politically/environmentally correct" young couples walk around these days with two or three little ones in tow. Recycling ain't gonna fix the problem, people, and neither are dreadlocks. The "my children can/will make a difference" argument is absurd. How many people (including individuals such as einstein, bach, mohammed) have given birth already, and has that made a bit of difference? And who cares if there is no one to take care of you in your old age? Do as the navajo do, and drag your ass out of the hogan when it is time.

A decent picture of the average (american) person's view of the roadkill debacle is the number of idiots you see wearing those senseless/tasteless "roadkill cafe" t-shirts. I am not naive enough to believe that humans will stop reproducing, so i have resigned myself to the ever more ugly future that awaits us all.

Fred Wyman

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Thank you, Fred
Harold Hushbeck
Harold Hushbeck
Nov 11, 2008 09:03 AM
Unfortunately the discussion of the impact of one more child, no matter how well he or she is mentored as a sustainable consumer, is so not sexy. Any peaceful transition to a sustainable community somehow must include a critical mass of public awareness that there is a rich and fulfilling life that doesn't demand personal procreation. This awareness would also recognize that, for the foreseeable future there will be more than enough souls in future generations to soak up the nurturing energy so obviously hardwired into our genes.

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