I was reading my favorite personal finance blog earlier, when I came across a guest post. To my astonishment, a human being, with a doctoral degree, actually wrote these words:

I’m not suggesting that we shame commenters who had kids or censure them in any way. But I think it needs to be part of the conversation. “You had too many kids,” and, “If you want to make it easier to be financially secure, have fewer kids,” are messages that I really think are lacking on the site. I have several friends who stopped at one child (or didn’t have any) because of finances. One of my good friends said, “We could give two kids an OK life financially, or we could give one kid a great life. - Erik Hofmeister, DVM

To this man, a child is no different from a purse. It is simply an accessory. Completely optional. A life is reduced to a number on a spreadsheet to him. He is far from alone.

A human, to this man and those who think like him, is now a commodity, an inconvenience, and completely disposable. What other worldview would argue so vociferously for the fake legal right to kill a child at any point until birth. A nine-month window in which they argue for the legal right to commit a premeditated and calculated killing of an innocent person. What distorted logic endeavors to even justify such an act, let alone codify it in law?

We’ve given up the mystique of the human person, the preciousness of a life, the awe at the circle of life.

If you wonder why society has come unglued, why hated and bigotry are suddenly spotted everywhere, and it’s because of this. When we reject the fundamental sacredness and specialness of life, acting against it becomes easy and unglued.

Juxtaposed to this pitiful and destructive worldview, is the perspective of a new father, a man who welcomed his first child at age 40,

As I surveyed all the petty passions and projects with which I had filled my life over the years, fully accepting that none of it would matter once the baby came, I had to wonder: Is this me? Will I still be me when all this stuff doesn’t matter anymore? Who’s the person that’s going to raise this kid, anyway? I thought I had answered those questions, until the doctor put that squalling little muppet into my arms earlier this month. In that moment, I stood there looking at the child, then at my wife, and then at the child again. As my vision cleared, I realized it wasn’t the baby I was seeing for the first time, it was me. I’d never really known who I was until that moment. Becoming a father didn’t change me; it helped me understand who I’d always been and who I would be from now on. - Ed Condon, WSJ Editorial

A child is a precious gift. Like a beautiful rosebush, it’s a gift that requires constant attention and nurture. But as we know, the human ideal is not selfish pursuits, but loving and serving others. Children provide us the greatest gift of all: unconditional love and human fulfillment.

Tags: Virtue