Population

We are faced with a situation of exponential everything, population, consumption, economy,etc. We are being face with life and death problems for individuals, cultures and species. These require an understanding of our position in the scheme of things. On one hand we can take a very self centered view of things. On the other hand we can stand back and look at the big picture. Probably we will be forced to react with sparce an inacurate data and a lot of loud advice that we distrust.

• http://www.quakerweb.org.uk/blog/
• http://www.quakerweb.org.uk/blog/population/the-need-to-limit-population-growth/
• http://www.quakers-in-ireland.ie/subsites/ecoquakers/ecoq.htm
• http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2009/09/29/the-population-myth/

Women must have the option to terminate a pregnancy. Every child must be wanted. It should be obvious to everyone by now that the world population is growing at an unsustainable rate. War is not the answer. We must get control of this growth with sane policies. Implementing a one-child-per-woman policy worldwide would help. That alone will not solve the problem in a timely manner. We must recognize that some individuals consume our resources at a much higher rate. These must pay a penalty.

All religions must support the effort. Religion plays a significant role in establishing norms of behavior. All religions have the capacity to adjust to the demands of survival.

As the birthrate decreases, the average age will increase. Improvement in medicine will tend to exacerbate this trend. Old people can become a burden. A philosophical change can alleviate this problem if we are given an acceptable option of suicide.

• http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/consumer/patient/chap1.htm
• http://www.biopsychiatry.com/misc/suicide.html

As the population ages the demand for employment changes. There are fewer people available for the heavy lifting jobs. The work force becomes more experienced.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_ageing

Wealth distribution remains a problem. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

• http://www.faireconomy.org/issues/growing_divide?gclid=CJCEhNrotKICFQrKsgoddW-26w

What is life? We begin, we run our course using whatever resources we can, we die, leaving behind what? A little , trash, hope for others who follow? Let's look at what was given us: A fertile planet, a myriad of examples of living solutions to the problem of sustainability, a wide open universe to explore. Alone, we can see little as our perception is limited and biased. Collaborating and building on the work of those who went before, we can see more and possibly a little into the future. We each have a separate part to play, not as equals but as coexisters. By sharing we can improve our chances of lasting a little longer. By working towards common goals we can increase our chances of success. Of course we must compete for resources but destructive competition benifits only a few. Once again, war is not the answer.