Retro Repro Thinking

Been thinking for a while about the idea of making a documentary about why people continue to procreate. Would certainly lend itself to a Socratic sendup; quite often when the question is posed, nary another word need be said, people will come up with the damnedest reasons, most end up sounding selfish. Today, it occurred to me that the real function of reproduction these days is to continue a virtual property line. The Americans constitute a small portion of the world's population, but consume a majority of its resources. Consumption is itself an example of a property right, but one where only continued use keeps it alive. We call it our way of life. Wouldn't require reproduction except for the fact that we all want a good 30 years of paid retirement these days. Saw a mind-blowing statistic last week: in 1955, the average male died 1.5 years after retirement.

How can it be that all of human life has been lived as though there were no limits, and now, suddenly, we seem to be up against the wall in every direction: the ocean on its way to being empty, unsustainable food practices, oil, transportation. It's hard enough to imagine how we remained completely oblivious, but harder to imagine is how people can remain in the same modes of behavior after. Game theorists recognize this as an archetype, typified by an electricity shortage: announcements are made that there is not enough for everyone to have their air conditioner on. Most of the players end up using their air conditioner as they would have, figuring that their abstention will not make much difference.