Spring Break
Out with the old, holding off on the new
Mikhail Chernyavsky
Issue date: 11/5/08 Section: Opinion
The beauty of being on a university campus every day is seeing the diversity of views of my fellow students. It is encouraging to see how outspoken people are about their beliefs. While there is no "wrong" opinion, there is an ignorant one.
I recently saw a person wearing one of my least favorite T-shirts. It was black with bold, white text that read: "Make Love, Not War."
By no means am I a violent person, but we need devastation in this world. Thomas Malthus explained in "An Essay on the Principle of Population" that in addition to old age, we need war, famine and disease to control our population. In the same way hunters help control the population of some animals in an area to keep it from overpopulating, Malthus' list does the same for human populations.
He believed that human population grew faster than we could produce supplies for survival. Thanks to the advancement of technology, we do not have to worry about production. Technology is now the new alcohol; the cause and solution to life's problems.
No longer are the weak subject to demise.
I cannot deny that technology is part of my survival. I wear corrective lenses. However, I can still see without them, unlike some friends who are virtually blind without them. In a war, if the blind did not fight, they would have been eliminated during the rape and pillage anyway.
Now before I am crucified for insensitivity, consider this: The current world population is 6.625 billion people, according to the Population Reference Bureau's "2007 World Population Data Sheet." The Bureau is a nonprofit organization that collects information on population, health and the environment. By the year 2050, it predicts that the earth's population will rise about 40 percent to 9.3 billion people. It doesn't accout for war, world hunger and disease.
For every 1000 people, there are 21 newborns and nine deaths each year. We are reproducing twice as fast as people are dying.
Now, I'm not saying we should start killing people, but stop keeping random people alive. The last thing we need is another cure to a deadly disease or an answer to a world problem.
In 2001, BBC Radio's World Service reported that every 3.6 seconds someone dies of hunger; that is about 8.76 million people per year. Now, imagine a place where world hunger is no more. By 2050, there would be an additional 367.92 million people to the 9.3 billion; this is also assuming that these new people would not "Make Love."
Because of medical advances, life is a lot easier. You sick? We have a pill for that. Your kidneys don't work? There is a machine for that. We do everything to prolong life, but at what point are people just living too long?
No matter how many cures we find, a new disease will always pop up.
The problem with us is that we love too much. We have a problem with wanting to keep our loved ones around forever. If this is a religious issue, then remember the good, old days of the Bible. They didn't have a dialysis machine for grandpa or an oxygen tank for grandma.
If it ever comes down to it, pull the plug on me. I'd rather you save your energy on the newborn that will take my place.
So please stop trying to save the world. If you do "make love," please use contraceptives.
Mikhail Chernyavsky can be reached at mikhail@statehornet.com
I recently saw a person wearing one of my least favorite T-shirts. It was black with bold, white text that read: "Make Love, Not War."
By no means am I a violent person, but we need devastation in this world. Thomas Malthus explained in "An Essay on the Principle of Population" that in addition to old age, we need war, famine and disease to control our population. In the same way hunters help control the population of some animals in an area to keep it from overpopulating, Malthus' list does the same for human populations.
He believed that human population grew faster than we could produce supplies for survival. Thanks to the advancement of technology, we do not have to worry about production. Technology is now the new alcohol; the cause and solution to life's problems.
No longer are the weak subject to demise.
I cannot deny that technology is part of my survival. I wear corrective lenses. However, I can still see without them, unlike some friends who are virtually blind without them. In a war, if the blind did not fight, they would have been eliminated during the rape and pillage anyway.
Now before I am crucified for insensitivity, consider this: The current world population is 6.625 billion people, according to the Population Reference Bureau's "2007 World Population Data Sheet." The Bureau is a nonprofit organization that collects information on population, health and the environment. By the year 2050, it predicts that the earth's population will rise about 40 percent to 9.3 billion people. It doesn't accout for war, world hunger and disease.
For every 1000 people, there are 21 newborns and nine deaths each year. We are reproducing twice as fast as people are dying.
Now, I'm not saying we should start killing people, but stop keeping random people alive. The last thing we need is another cure to a deadly disease or an answer to a world problem.
In 2001, BBC Radio's World Service reported that every 3.6 seconds someone dies of hunger; that is about 8.76 million people per year. Now, imagine a place where world hunger is no more. By 2050, there would be an additional 367.92 million people to the 9.3 billion; this is also assuming that these new people would not "Make Love."
Because of medical advances, life is a lot easier. You sick? We have a pill for that. Your kidneys don't work? There is a machine for that. We do everything to prolong life, but at what point are people just living too long?
No matter how many cures we find, a new disease will always pop up.
The problem with us is that we love too much. We have a problem with wanting to keep our loved ones around forever. If this is a religious issue, then remember the good, old days of the Bible. They didn't have a dialysis machine for grandpa or an oxygen tank for grandma.
If it ever comes down to it, pull the plug on me. I'd rather you save your energy on the newborn that will take my place.
So please stop trying to save the world. If you do "make love," please use contraceptives.
Mikhail Chernyavsky can be reached at mikhail@statehornet.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Charles
posted 11/12/08 @ 5:37 PM PST
I wonder if you would still have those sentiments when it's your mom or dad that's dying of cancer or has a failed kidney.
We don't have to continue wars or not cure diseases. (Continued…)
extremewit@yahoo.com
posted 11/14/08 @ 2:23 PM PST
I agree. But I think that we need to focus on the fact that stupid poor people are the ones doing most of the procreating. So guess don't worry about it. (Continued…)
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