I think the root cause to the problem of population explosion is the 'poverty' which the developing countries are facing today. Poverty leads to illiteracy which makes such people devoid of any vision to see the things in a larger perspective. Most of the people who produce too many children are slum dwellers, illiterate and far below the poverty line, for whom the main worry in life is to arrange for their next meal and a place to sleep at night. So how can we expect them to be concerned about bigger issues such as population explosion which may not be effecting them immediately. More so,in their case the parents are not too much concerned about the survival and upbringing of their children after a particular stage and these children learn the art of surviving independently from very initial stages.
Coupled with the lack of vision to see beyond their immediate needs,another reason for over-producing the children is that after struggling the whole day for their living, such people can ill afford any means of entertainment to relax themselves. So they have no choice but to resort to the natural means available to them without worrying for the consequential birth of the children.
In my view, a person can exercise the birth control if he thinks logically, he can think logically once he is educated, he can be educated only once his basic needs are met and his basic needs can be met only only if he has adequate income. Therefore, there is an urgent need to ensure adequate income for everyone. This would need a concerted effort at global level and not only at the level of those nations which are currently facing this challenge, since it is not a threat to a particular region or a community but a threat to the mankind.
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2 comments:
You cannot imagine how happy I am to see this post from you here. I will tell my students about you, one of my best university buddies.
And you are right 97% of the population growth on this planet is going to the poverty ridden areas! Until we address that issue nothing meaningful can be done!!
Arun,
Your comment is so eloquent and so truthful that I just read it and contemplated its truth. We, in the developed world, cannot imagine the struggles and hardships facing these peoples who deal with the issues of poverty and malnutrition on a daily basis. Only once the basic needs of survival are met can a human think outside of "the next meal." It is truly unfair for those in the "rich" nations to dictate population control to those who have more pressing issues. One of the largest problems with the U.S. is the idea that "those" people in "other" countries are the problem. People in the wealthy, developed world, fail to see that their hunger for natural resources and energy can be a greater strain on the planet than an eight person family living in poverty in India, Tibet, etc.
Until we recognize the evil of our own consumption and are willing to educate and feed all people, the problem will continue. Perhaps until the demise of us all.
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