Illustration to Put in Perspective a Timeless Question:
Are there too many of us on Earth?

In the face of the climate, geopolitical, economic, and societal challenges humanity faces, what responsibility do we bear when bringing a new generation into the world—a generation that must accept and confront these issues?

Does the desire to have children stem from selfishness? Or is it, at least in part, guided by nature itself—the same natural forces that created life? Could there be a physical or chemical impetus aiming to counterbalance the harms of pollution, war, racism, and famine through the emergence of a more sensitive, empathetic, and conscientious generation capable of slowing, or even reversing, the damage we've done?

Or will this generation instead seek to escape the responsibilities we've left them, much like the dream of fleeing to other planets once Earth becomes uninhabitable? Will they feel burdened by the selfishness of their parents, despite the love given to them?

This reflection brings to mind a quote from Rust Cohle, a character in True Detective, Season 1:

"I think human consciousness is a tragic misstep in evolution. We became too self-aware; nature created an aspect of itself separate from itself. We are creatures that should not exist by natural law, laboring under the illusion of having a self—a secretion of sensory experience and feeling—programmed with total assurance that we are each somebody, when in fact everybody’s nobody. I think the honorable thing for our species to do is deny our programming, stop reproducing, walk hand in hand into extinction—one last midnight, brothers and sisters opting out of a raw deal."

Yet, as a very good friend reminded me with her contagious enthusiasm, the illustration can also be interpreted differently. It may represent a connection to the inner child, a path to reconnect and purify ourselves while accessing a higher consciousness. Through this connection, we may elevate ourselves and reveal our truest selves.