Happy Birthday, Human # 7,000,000,000

Humanity just celebrated a HUGE milestone...on Oct. 31, a baby was born that brought the world population to the round number of seven billion!

What does this imply?

To be honest I was getting a little clusterphobic here in Commack. Maybe that is why we have three new gas stations being built. I think our systems are overloaded and we might need a few more Baby Gaps in the vecinity.

Having four children of my own, I think I might be part of the problem myself...

But let me defend myself and all those that have more than 1.6 children (did you ever bump into that .6 anywhere?!)

For starters, procreation is a Divine command. In fact, the very first command – yes, G-d gives commands, not merely suggestions - that G-d gave humanity: “Reproduce and multiply yourselves; fill the Earth and conquer her.”

Creating human life is not merely a privilege or right; it is an obligation. Not only is it an obligation, it is a blessing. Every human being has a special mission to realize.

“Just like there are no two people who look alike,” Jewish sages observe, “so, too, are there no two people that think alike.” Every one is different. Every one is unique. Every one is irreplaceable.

But, what will happen to our already depleted natural resources? Can Planet Earth handle so many human beings?

The key to answer these questions is embedded in G-d’s command: “…and conquer her”. “Conquer” is not synonymous with “abuse”. To “conquer” means to discover the potential inherent in nature and to use it for the good. To “conquer” means to educate the children that we bring into this world to live life productively. To “conquer” means to educate our children to respect our natural resources, not to waste them and to achieve sustainability.

One of the reasons that Adam was created as a solitary individual is in order to teach us the uniqueness of every human being. We were not created wholesale. Every human being has a name. Every one is different than everyone else. We do not know who the baby whose birth we are trying to prevent in order not to overstress the system will be nor what he or she will able to contribute. Who knows if it will not be the one to find a way to make better use of our resources or the one to bring humanity to a greater level of social consciousness and solidarity?

The decision to have or not to have a child is an act of faith. It is a wager. We are supposed to bet on life. We are not futurologists who can know the destiny of every child that is born. Besides, we can only decide not to procreate, because the success of our intent to procreate does not depend on us. If a child is born it is because G-d willed it so.

So, now that we know that baby number 7,000,000,000has been born, all we need to find out is where the mother is registered for baby gifts.

In any case, I extend her a warm welcome and wish his or her parents a hearty Mazal Tov!