I know decades ago, people didn't have to think twice about the kind of world they wanted to bring their kids into after marriage. They simply got married and followed the natural order of procreation, had kids, and strove to raise them to become responsible adults, which most parents were intentional about.
But then, time has changed; things are no longer the way they were before. Nowadays, it's now heartbreaking news here and there – the likes of war, kidnapping, rituals, natural disasters, crimes of different colours, and an increase in selfishness and greed; just name them, and that's how terrible our world has become.
And so the big question is if it's ethical to keep on birthing children in a world like this?
Personally, I wouldn't say yes or no, but then, if everyone should stop having children due to the situation of our world, then with time, we may forget about humanity.
I believe every generation faced their own challenges, even though they differ. I remember my grandma told me the adversities they faced back then; that was many decades ago, so yeah, our world was never without challenges.
However, I understand the fear of some people who are worried about bringing kids into our world today; I understand their worries about what the future holds for them if it's as bad as it is today. This is because raising children is beyond giving them food and shelter. There are a lot of parents who have to face every stage of a child's life. the challenges of peer pressure and unseen life challenges in the future and more you have to deal with.
But then, I think the main question shouldn't be deliberating on whether to have children or not but being intentional about it. I said 'intentional' because some people have kids because society expects them to do so. They don't consider whether they are fit emotionally, mentally, financially, etc., and that's even where the really ethical issues lie. Children need the deserved protection, great values, directions and more from their parents, and most importantly, they deserve parents who are willing to be committed to seeing that they grow to become responsible adults.
Christians believe that children are gifts from God. Again, God never promised us a perfect world, but rather he made us understand that difficult times will come – tribulation and adversity – but he will be there for us. He still gives children to families to nurture despite the chaos in the world he created and expects us to nurture these children to become light in their dark world.
Perhaps what our world needs are children raised with faith and integrity. Of a truth, all the great and compassionate children we see today were nurtured by parents who understand values and inculcate them in the lives of their children. They choose to teach them to stay away from evil, hatred and the like, which thrive in our world today, but rather show kindness and compassion.
Overall, it's not all about being scared of the future but being intentional in the kind of children we raise today, so we should do well to become parents... That's the koko, and by then, we should expect a better society and stop being afraid of the future but rather raise world problem solvers.
