Imagine

In light of the events of this week, I have been asked on several occasions why I would want to bring a child into this world. And while I understand, and certainly do not minimalize the tragedy of these occurrences, it saddens me that society has lost so much hope in civilization that they would question another's desire to procreate. Children, no matter when and how they are created, are a gift. Terrible things happen every day. They may not be blasted all over the news or mourned by an entire country. But they are just as real and just as devastating as mass bombings and terroristic attacks. There is nothing new under the sun. Men will continue to harm each other. It is in our nature apart from God. And while it would seem like society in general is deteriorating, the truth is, things like this have been happening for ages. One life lost at the hands of another is no different than many lives lost. The tragedy may seem more drastic and senseless. But a man who beats his wife to death in their own home is just as sadistic and heinous as a man who walks into a movie theatre and opens fire on hundreds of unsuspecting victims. What's my point? Imagine if everyone decided the world was too dark and twisty to bring children into. While we may seem we are doing our posterity a service, what then would be our legacy? We would all die out broken and hopeless,  leaving only memories of the hateful crimes we have committed against each other. Perhaps we would end up just turning on one another. After all, that seems to be the path we are on. And while this seems to be an overdramatized statement, that is basically what people who abhor the idea of giving birth in today's world are implying that we do. This is my take, for what it's worth.
We have been given an extraordinary gift! The ability to bring life into this world. I know it's scary and uncertain and at times we fear the future and man's uncanny ability to make an absolute mess of things. But we have an opportunity...even better, an obligation to shape our future through our children! The world does not have to continue down this path of self-destruction. I certainly do not blame all of the problems of today on poor parenting. Mistakes will be made and we all do the best we can. But imagine, rather than raising our children in fear, we raise them believing that they are the key to a brighter future. Coming from a close-knit circle (or rather square) of organized religion and restriction, I know first hand the damage that can be done if we are not encouraged to think freely and to understand the how's and why's of what we believe. My personal journey brought me back to the basics. And while not everyone needs to agree with me, I cannot stress enough the importance on letting our children discover Truth on their own! We can provide guidelines and instruction, but in the end we all choose our own way. Children who are raised being told WHAT to believe and not why often tend to revert to their most carnal selves. They have been given no freedom to explore or  to build a solid foundation of thought and reason. These children are then released into a world that will tear them apart because they have never been given the opportunity to arm themselves against all manner of temptation. We can drill "Thou shalt Not's" into their head all we want...but do they really know why they shouldn't? I am not against organized religion. I am a Christian, and believe whole-heartedly in raising my kids with a solid set of morals and boundaries. BUT I am going to encourage them to think for themselves...to believe for themselves. No matter what your religion/beliefs, the best we can do for the future of this country is to encourage our children to think freely. I firmly believe that restriction breeds animosity. There is so much hate in this world. But I am thoroughly convinced that this hate has spawned from an inability to decipher truth independently. Martin Luther King, Jr said " I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant. " Rather than raising our children with a list of rules they will inevitably break, I wonder what the world will be like 20 years from now if the only rule we drill into their heads is to love unconditionally.

All this to say, when I look at Ivey, I do not regret or fear for her future. When I look at Ivey, I see possibility and promise. When I look at Ivey, I see hope.