Carbon Infestation

A few days ago we heard it again: one of our friends muttered, “there are just too many people in the world. Not sure why anyone would have children these days; there are too many people on this planet anyway.” Their comments reminded me of a line from Star Trek in which an alien intelligence described humanity as a “carbon infestation” that afflicts Planet Earth. Bring in the pest control techs, and get rid of it!

This was not the only time we have heard such sentiments. The odd thing, though, is that none of the folks complaining about too many people, too many children, too many babies being born — none of them ever volunteer to leave as a way of reducing the excess population. In one case the complaining went on so long that the flow of conversation allowed me to semi-jokingly say, “then why don’t you volunteer to leave?” The response was an open-mouthed moment of shock. The complainer, who “only wants the best for the environment,” had never given much thought to the logical end-game of their world view.

Some of the implications of such complaining start to reveal themselves when someone says there are too many people, too many children, too many old people, too many — OK, what comes next? Too many disabled, too many of a different generation, too many who do not think or look like the complainer, too many who are not as enlightened? We see hints of this crop up in our political discourse when the chattering class suggests that some people are not fit to receive medical care, or that they should go to the bottom of the list if they don’t measure up to some committee’s ideas about quality of life. We saw where this road leads if we remember 20th century history, and it leads to a dark place, indeed.

Fortunately, there is a better way to look at life. In God’s view, life is a blessing, children are a blessing, and so are the elderly. Let’s look at some short examples from God’s word.

Psalm 16:31 says, “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.” Old age comes with aches and pains, and is certainly not for the faint of heart, but God seems to think these people are special. And, if we recall the promise that comes with His commandment about honoring our father and mother, God seems to think that long life is a blessing.

Psalm 127:3-5 says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!” Children may be a challenge and a lot of work, but they also keep us sharp, pull us outside of ourselves, help us grow in maturity, and they are a reward from God.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” The world, in this case, is a world of people. “All” is a dangerous word, but it looks like God loves all of us, even including the people who reject Him; loves us enough to die for us. To God, every life matters. Thankfully, that includes you and me!