From fairest creatures we desire increase,

That thereby beauty’s rose might never die,

But as the riper should by time decrease,

His tender heir might have his memory.

— Shakespeare, Sonnet 1

That sonnet above pointed to procreation, continuation of the species, increasing of the population, go forth and multiply so that your heir might have your memory. It is the mandate of all living creatures to continue their species, to hand down their genetic footprint from generation to generation, to populate the planet, for if not, they will become extinct, erased from the face of the Earth, gone forever.

That fate has befallen many species. Their population spiralled into decline as they died off faster than they could breed, so they sank into oblivion and simply ceased to exist. Breed plenty or disappear.

The Bible addresses this, saying, “Go forth and multiply,” “Spread thy seed upon the land,” and other exhortations encouraging mankind to multiply, make babies, procreate, breed plenty. In fact, the term ‘Have out yu lot,’ addressed to women, means that they should have as many babies as they possibly can. This was popular among some religions here.

I know that Rastafarians echoed this sentiment to their sistren as they bun fire pon birth control.

“Women must have out their lot, birth control is a plan to kill off black people.”

Were their words prophetic, were they on the right track? We’ll find out more as we examine the reasons people should breed more, right after these responses to my take on ‘Silent river’.

Hi Tony,

Interesting article I must say. While reading it I found I was drawing parallels with my current situation. In relationships, communication is critical. How then does a woman get her spouse to communicate? I once read a book, Men are like waffles, women are like spaghetti. It was very illuminating and I think that it should be required reading for all couples. But I digress.

How do we get a man to talk? 41 years, and I’m still trying to figure it out.

Patricia

Teerob,

I must say that your articles teach lessons for a lifetime, a recipe for singles living in the now and shaping the future. I’m mindful of the adage that says, ‘Silence is golden,’ or the one that says, ‘Less is more.’ On the other hand, how about this one, ‘Don’t allow anyone to overwhelm you, speak your mind.’ So contrasting and ironic. In doing so, though, I strengthen my resolve and try not to speak or act impulsively.

Paulette

The word breed can be a noun, as in, ‘That breed of dog is intelligent,’ or it can be a verb, as in, ‘Rabbits really breed rapidly.’ If species do not breed they will disappear, and that includes the human race. At last count, the Earth’s population was said to be more than eight billion people and increasing by the minute, although slower than before, they say.

Some countries breed faster than others which leads to concerns by scientists, even from years ago. Even now I remember my sixth form General Certificate of Education (GCE) A level economics class and the Malthusian theory of population growth versus limited food supply.

This guy named Thomas Malthus calculated that with the multiplying increase in population, mankind would eventually run out of food as the food production wouldn’t keep pace unless there were strict limits on human reproduction. He wasn’t exactly correct though, as science has ways to increase food production.

But his theory was enough to make some countries have growing concerns, so they made adjustments to cut back on population growth. China had their one child per family policy, which was made into law, and here in Jamaica, we had the campaign, ‘Two is better than too many,’ encouraging women not to have more than two children.

Well, as the old saying goes, ‘Look what we live to come see,’ as those countries that instituted those edicts, including us, are now paying the price, as population decline is a real and negative factor. Even our own Ministry of Health is now encouraging women to have more babies. Go forth and multiply, breed plenty.

If not enough babies are born, countries will be saddled with an ageing population, made up with a majority of old people. China, Japan, and other countries are experiencing this decline and are encouraging their young people to breed plenty.

But what are the reasons behind the declining birth rate of so many countries, even those where they were not encouraged to cut back on breeding? Many young women opt not to have children for various reasons. For some, it’s fear of childbirth.

“I really cannot take that pain that goes with it.”

While for others, they focus more on their education and careers.

“A baby now would hold me back. I want to advance my career.”

“I can’t be burdened with a child right now, I want to live my life.”

Vanity is also a factor; “Getting pregnant would ruin my figure.”

Others cite financial reasons, “I simply cannot afford to raise a child right now, school fee, food and clothes too expensive.” While others say, “With the state of the world right now, I’d never bring a child into this turmoil.”

All those reasons are by choice, as there was no rule of law from governments to curtail population growth. Some young people say that with so many wars going on around the world, the fear factor is very real. But the world has always had wars — World War I, World War II, The Vietnam war, The Korean war, the Middle East conflict and countless others from biblical times and before.

Yet people still bred like rabbits throughout the centuries. What’s different now? Is it an act of selfishness why so many young women are shying away from having children as they concentrate on self only? Or are their fears justified? What is true is that there is a socio-economic class differential, as poor people breed far more than rich people.

This is an irony, for even though poorer people find it difficult to support multiple children, they have lots of them. But the rich limit their numbers. Look for yourself and you’ll see, young poor women with five or more children all seeking assistance. Yet the well-to-do or affluent only have one or two offspring.

As my late father MG Robinson used to say, “God loves poor people, that’s why he made so many of them.” Yes, poor people breed like rabbits, and this is a worldwide phenomenon. Richer folks usually only have a few children, even though they can afford to have more.

Back in the day, women used to have multiple children, and I know women from my parents’ generation who had 10, 12, or even 15 children, with most surviving. Many were delivered at home by midwives. People mostly then regarded having so many children as a sort of security for the future, a pension plan for their old age, and this worked for some. But times do change.

I’ve heard from various people, “Children are no pension for parents nowadays, instead they live off you and never leave the house.” So many children nowadays feel entitled and take and take and take, but give back nothing to their parents.

Mercifully, this is not a generalisation, for there are still a few children around who take care of their parents in times of need or during old age. But they are few and far between, and maybe that’s another reason many young people nowadays opt not to have children of their own.

“Children are too ungrateful and selfish, I don’t want any.”

“How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child.” (Shakespeare, King Lear)

There can be regrets though, for I do know of elderly women who have told me with tears in their eyes, “The one regret I have is that I never had a child of my own.” These are women who were successful in their careers, had everything that they desired, but ended up feeling empty and alone when age crept up on them.

Still, there is no guarantee, for as I’ve said, even though some do have children, they still end up alone and in need, due to abandonment and neglect. Nevertheless, procreation is essential for continuation of the species, nature intended that. Every living creature on Earth feels the need to procreate and fight for survival. It’s instinctive.

We must not be irresponsible though and just breed plenty with no thought of support or provision, but neither should we interfere with the natural order of the universe. To date, every attempt to curtail population growth has resulted in negative repercussions.

Who would have thought that Jamaica would be calling for young women to breed plenty?

More time.

seido1yard@gmail.com

Footnote: The Reggae Boyz, our national football team, is doing fairly well in this current campaign. The squad is made up of quite a bit of England-based players, some being good, others marginal. Most aren’t born here but qualify due to their Jamaican lineage through parents or even grandparents. As a result, many of them are virtual strangers to Jamaica. Still, I have no problem with that. What bothers me, though, is when they are interviewed in the media their accent is so strong that their words are almost unintelligible. I heard one recently and I could not understand one word that the guy was saying, even after I rewound it and played it again. I lived in London for a while, in Brockley SE4, so I’m familiar with the accents, but this guy was totally incomprehensible and not representative of Jamaica at all.