Child-Free

I'm not sure what the social conditions in the area where you live are, but it seems there is a growing trend of people choosing to be child-free, at least where I go about my business (recently famous Indonesian YouTuber Gita Savitri Devi was in the spotlight for her decision to be child-free). Before I discuss this subject in more detail, let's grok the meaning of "child-free". It's self-explanatory, isn't it? One would easily work out that this term refers to the state of being free of children – that is, not having children, hence not being attached to or responsible for them. Macmillan Dictionary, which is the best online English dictionary to me, simply and effectively defines "child-free" as a word "used to describe someone who has decided not to have children". So why does this social phenomenon appear to be gaining more and more traction nowadays?

By carrying out some individual brain work, it is possible to identify a number of reasons why being child-free is preferred to having offspring. One is for the sake of the sustainability of the earth. According to Worldometer, the global population of humans is staggeringly large (7.9 billion as of September 2021) and has been constantly rising. How would the world end up if human overpopulation reached the breaking point? The doom of humanity would inevitably dawn and the environment would be in a state of collapse. One could justifiably call this a noble motivation for opting to be child-free.

Another reason pertains to morality. Having a child means bearing the responsibility for them, having to nurture them and make sure they can grow up and live their life properly. This of course requires the parents to devote a substantial amount of time, effort, etc. to their child. Will my child be able to get a good education? Can I give them enough attention, care, and love so that not only their physical needs but also their psychological ones are fulfilled? Am I capable of teaching them to behave properly in society so that they can fit into the world we live in? Such questions must be pondered about by morally conscious couples. Bringing up a child takes a lot of resources and not everyone is qualified for this mammoth "task".

A third reason worth mentioning relates to one's personal life goals. A human is (or should be) free to determine their ultimate aims in life and having children can impede the achievement for the reasons mentioned in the previous paragraph. A person who aspires to eradicate famine in the world would not be as focused on and effective in their mission if they had to take care of their own children as otherwise. And I do believe you can come up with many a similar illustration. (There are more reasons for being child-free, such as that stated by adherents of antinatalism, but I will just stop here.) 

It is certainly natural for us to want to have children – just like other organisms on the planet, humans are "designed" to pass on their genes to the next generation. This is presumably what has prompted many people to think that having children is more an obligation and less a choice – at least, that's what I have perceived in my whereabouts. You might also learn that certain religions teach that being child-free is not recommended or even a sin, which makes sense since having children means there are more avenues for these memes to spread. I myself am more inclined to be child-free for a combination of reasons and my girlfriend doesn't mind either option. What about you? 😉