By Carlton Ishmael
The new hot topic is if the state — and by extension the government — should be responsible for new births and child support.
In times gone by it was usually adults that decided if they ought to have a child or not. The government, on the other hand, assisted in making sure that schools were made available and employment opportunities were there to make life worth living. But over the last few years, there’s been a situation that has confronted many parents: the means to care for their off-springs.
The crisis borders on the cost of caring for the children and by extension the cost of living. But the decision to have or not to have has always been a personal choice.
In today’s material world, most people would rather spend their money on material gains, they see through one lens, forgetting that they one day may grow old and all that they have acquired or been able to accumulate they have to pass it on, or may need their children to assist them in their old age.
Most women claim they do not want children because the fathers are not supportive. And most men, especially the young, see no need in playing their part they leave the burden on the mothers. So, the generation is getting thinner and the mind set remains the same and that is the dilemma.
Gone are the days when mothers sacrificed for their children, when the family came first, and when keeping our tradition and culture alive took first place. Now, everyone wants more, so they demand that the state takes care of all their needs and what they have or work for is to care for their personal needs.
As to whether they are right or wrong, only time will tell. But we ought to remember that if you don’t contribute to civilization, you are part and the cause of the problem.
Big houses, fancy cars and having a overseas holiday yearly is all fine, but remember that what we sow is what we shall reap and the future may depend on the seeds that you sow and if you choose not to plant, then you will not reap when it will be needed most.
The good book says ‘Go ye and multiply, bring forth and teach the young to be upright and faithful’, but it seems that such teachings matter not in these times.
Thinking for today and not tomorrow is going to be the downfall of many people, so I suggest that you think long term rather than being content with only today.
We take plenty for granted; we care for self, not for the generation, to the extent that I-and-I culture will one day be the reason some will suffer in their old age. And believe me, we all have to grow old and at some stage we may need help and the absence of our children will be our downfall.