>They especially didn't
>like my comment that it seems that only the morons in the world are
>reproducing, which seems to indicate a possible beginnning of a
>devolution of the race....
Hmm. Your comment provokes several reactions.
The first is due to the fact that my wife and I are expecting a boy in
mid-September. This obviously places both of us in the category of
moron, at least according to you. So I'd like to think that my example
disproves your blanket statement right off the bat ;-)
Digging beyond the gut-level response, I'll admit that I had reservations
for many years about bringing a child into the world. Look around - the
forces of big government seem to be entrenched around the world, children
are being shot on the streets and in schools, couples are having to work
harder to make ends meet, etc. I could go on and on. It seems like the
world is going down the toilet, and that things just aren't as good as
they were when I was growing up.
At some point, though, I began to suspect that these views were primarily
due to my getting older, that the big bad world was making me cynical,
and that maybe the world wasn't actually getting measurably worse. I
also began to suspect that perhaps most parents of most generations, for
as far back as mankind has been living in civilized society, have felt
that things wouldn't be as good for their children as they were when they
themselves were growing up.
So now I try to invoke my Extropian dynamic optimism. Yes, things are
bad in many ways in many places, but there are also many good
developments being made at a seemingly increasing pace. Yes, I'm
throwing myself and my child into a bit of a crapshoot, but I have hope
that the forces of freedom and scientific advancement will prevail.
Here's a counter-argument for you. If forward-thinking types like us
don't counter the reproductive forces of the moronic masses, at least to
some degree, aren't we just making it more certain that those forces will
prevail? Who knows, my kid could be the next Max More!
There's the other line of discussion about whether or not one can best
achieve immortality through one's genes or one's memes. In other words,
how much is one limiting one's advancement and personal development by
settling down into family life? I struggled with this one too, and have
come to the conclusion that I want to have, and think I can accomodate,
both. I know that I have developed quite a bit by being married, and I
expect that being a father will offer many new opportunities to grow. So
I'll hopefully end up being a better, more effective person, and will be
bringing a potential new Extropian into the world to boot.
Along those lines, does anyone have any suggestions for how to raise a
successful, Extropian child? Are there any particularly good books, web
sites, etc. out there?
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John Blanco-Losada "You must be the change
jbl@clark.net you wish to see
http://www.clark.net/pub/jbl/jbl.html in the world." - M. Gandhi
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