The Case for Children

Why it is good to have them

I am always shocked when I hear someone say that they are not having children out of concern for the planet. Or that we don’t belong here. Or that Earth would be better off without us. It is true that Earth has taken some heavy damage because of what we have done. But the idea that we would do the planet a favor by vacating ourselves from the scene stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of the relationship between us.

A power much greater than ourselves means for the Earth and us to evolve together. The purpose of the Earth, as it relates to us, is to give us a place within matter where we can learn the lessons that are intended for us.

 I am sure that there is also a reason for us, in relation to Earth. I do not know what it is yet. Maybe it is so she can go through the pain of a birth, followed by the joy that comes afterward, and later pride, when the child grows up and takes its rightful place in creation. There is growth in that. We have indeed caused the Earth pain. Let us try with every ounce of effort we have to raise ourselves to the level where she can be proud of us.

Just as we go through many incarnations, so does our planet. We can read about the nature of planetary incarnations in Rudolph Steiner’s Cosmic Memory. When I stopped to think about how the Earth reincarnates just as we do – not nearly as often, but still – then I realized that it must be learning and growing just as we are. It became clear that surely the Earth needs us to carry out its purpose just as we need it to carry out ours. So killing ourselves to save the planet is not an option. Instead we must be good children who grow into good adults. I think it is very important that we think about how we can best serve Earth evolution, our evolution, and the relationship between us. Here are a few ideas.

First, we are stewards of Earth. This seems to be clear in the parable of the vineyard owner in Mathew 21:33 (I know this parable has other meanings as well, just like they all do). A steward does not own a thing. A steward looks after a thing for the one who does own it, and cares for it as closely as possible to the way the owner himself would. This means we have the use of the Earth, but whenever we squander its resources, or use them stupidly, we are doing wrong. The Earth is not for our titillation. When we grow up enough to figure that out, we will have advanced significantly. I think of a child pulling her mother’s hair. It is cute in a two or three year old, but not a seventeen year old. We are that seventeen year old. We have to stop pulling the Earth’s hair. I also imagine the planet as a palace that I have been tasked to look after for a time. I better make darn sure that thing is in as good or better shape than I found it in, when the king comes back.

Second, we have to actively improve ourselves. On a physical and intellectual level yes, but most importantly on a spiritual level. The spiritual work is really the most difficult too. For me at least, it is much easier to work on intellectual or physical stuff for an entire day than it is to intensively pray or meditate for five minutes. But don’t give up. It also has an infinitely bigger payoff. A really approachable handbook for this kind of work is called The Art of Thinking, by Mieke Mossmuller, from occidentpublishers.com. The title might give you the impression that it is about intellect work, but it is actually about how to do spirit work. This little book can keep one busy for at least nineteen weeks, and also point the way to further researches.

The spiritual work that we must do is not only for our benefit. It is also for the Earth. Since the main purpose of Earth is to give us the platform that we need to carry out our mission, and our mission is to raise ourselves to connect to the divine source, if we don’t do the spirit work then we also fail the Earth, since we are not doing the thing that she gave us the space to do. It would be like if a head football coach got his team ready for the big game, and then at game time the team went out on the field and took a nap.

Third, we should probably have children. It is humbling to think about what a great service raising children is. That is why I am thankful to those who do it, and grateful that destiny has seen fit for me to be given the care of children as well. Every human soul requires to incarnate in a physical body to fulfil its development. For that to happen it needs the ground of the Earth, and a man and woman to come together in love.

There is a legitimate concern that the planet can only carry so much, and that perhaps too many human souls should not incarnate at any one time. Now obviously there is some upper limit to how many souls Earth can provide for, just like there is a limit on how many children a human mother can reasonably care for.

But wherever exactly that limit is, I don’t think that we are in danger of surpassing it for a couple reasons. First, there are only so many human souls. I don’t know what the number is, but it is not infinite. Second, only so many souls are ready to incarnate at any one time. After death, there is a long process that must take place before that person is ready to incarnate again.* Depending on individual circumstances, that can take from one hundred to a few hundred years. We happen to live in a time where many souls are ready to incarnate all at once, but that may not continue much longer. There are already strong signs that the global birth rate is dropping.

And since there are a rather lot of us here at the moment, at least compared to known history, it might be worth considering that perhaps there is a reason that so many have gathered on the physical plane all at once. Maybe we need to pool our energy for some great task, or maybe we need to learn to share limited resources in a just way. Or maybe we’re supposed to learn how to repair damaged resources – like how there are many ranchers repairing injured grasslands by using Alan Savory’s methods. I don’t know, I’m just brainstorming.

 So the upshot is, if you want children, and you feel that you can care for them, have them. Or find some to adopt. Or lend support to someone who does have kids. And feel great about it. Also, do all the spirit work that you can possibly muster. Saying to yourself or to another person, “I believe in God.” Is a great start, but it is just a bare start. Improving ourselves on the spirit level really requires intense daily effort. Reading spiritual texts with intense focus, praying, contemplating, meditating. I think intensity is better than duration. If you are super busy and can only carve out ten minutes a day in your current circumstances, it is probably enough if you use those ten minutes intensively. Like other hard things, the hardest part is starting. But once you start, paths open to you.

Lastly, I feel like there is some value in directly thanking the Earth, in my own voice and out loud, on a regular basis. I can say something like, “thank you Earth, for providing me and all humanity with the ground for our evolution.” Come what may, no matter how tough it gets, the destiny of Earth and Humanity are intertwined, and we must see it through to the end.

*For more information on reincarnation, see Reincarnation and Karma, by Rudolph Steiner.