Why Kids Matter for the Future.

In a world where we know that things aren't the greatest and that things are really just getting worse, we sometimes ask ourselves, "what can I do?" I believe there are many people who want to change the world or make a difference in it. I do. It can seem overwhelming and often unattainable though.

I am here to tell you that you can make a difference, a very big difference! 

The answer is much more simple than you'd think: have children, have a lot of them. Okay, not really. You don't have to have a lot of children but more than two will suffice. It is a common misconception, but the world's population is actually decreasing. By the looks of it we are growing but by the science of it we are not. The perception of growth comes from the technology to protect children from deadly disease and to keep the old guys alive longer. The fertility rate is below 2.13, the rate at which the population stays constant. By 2040 scientists are predicting a decrease in population. 

So what's the big deal? I'll answer that question too. We call it human capital: the stock of knowledge, habits, social and personalty attributes, including creativity, embodied in the ability to perform labor so as to produce economic value. Think about it this way. If you had 100 workers sewing 300 skirts in an hour and the population starts to fall we are now down to 75 workers but the production expectation is still at 300 skirts an hour. We may not eventually have a skirt shortage but what about other things? Who's going to design flying cars? Or figure out what else we can use recycled plastic bottles for? Or find a way to make clothes fit everyone the way they're supposed to? Or solve the crisis of Donald Trumps hair? There are many things left to be invented, but what if these inventors are never born? 

Another big deal that has nothing to do with human capital is the quality of life our grand children and great grand children will have. What makes your life so worth living? I highly doubt it's your job. Or your awesome car. Or all your cool sweaters. It's your family obviously. The love and joy shared in a family is of no comparison. 

I know, aren't we adorable??

The greatest desires a person has is to be loved and to love in return. The family is best place to nurture those feeling and grow in capacity to have them for others. I come from one of the best families on the planet. We have our struggles. We have our arguments and even a few fist fight. But we also have each other. What more do we need?