Bring the kid or not

My friend who just gone through a full pregnancy and delivered a cute kid, once quoted me a question, “Rohit, why should I bring a child into this sad & cruel world. I am scared and feel responsible for the kid”. I had no answer then and more so even today I am still in the vague. My god, pregnancy is tough for some people. It’s not what it is we may think it is, ok, us bachelors. As a growing up kid in my little joint family, I have seen my aunts going through the processes. But, I was a kid then. I never knew that there are hormones which keep playing with your mind & your body. You could end up vomiting all day and feel crazy on your stomach. Depending on your case, you may have to keep visiting the doctors to get the regular healthy consultations. Adding some sugar, for some woman this is a simple process as well. There are those who remain unaware that they are 4 months pregnant! Anyway.

I was passing by a regular street and I saw a young aged woman. She was pregnant and sitting calmly over a stool, selling some stuff. More perspective, it was a scorching day and she was sitting out in the open with no immediate accessible washroom besides (I would add the factor of hygiene post that). I kept seeing her for several days. On one hand, my friend’s pregnancy was what it is like, I felt was tough, I saw this woman too. Naturally I tended to empathize as I only began to understand the scenario. Somehow, she also chose to bring the kid in the same sad & cruel world. Should I introspect, was there a choice for her to make? Did she ponder on the question, when should she raise a baby... and if she is financially sound to hammer the nail (it is damn expensive nowadays). It can just be a society-driven decision, or maybe just the result of an unprotected intercourse.

India is the most populous country in the world now. Yeah, we are strong 1.4 crore humans in this geographic region which add up to just 2.4% of the earth's surface. We are one of the youngest country as well. That means, we have a better chance at driving the economic growth of the country (as well of the world). Many analysts have pointed out that India may miss this big opportunity & that we won’t be able to capitalize on our youngest lot. Why? Tens of reasons – young lot is not in sync with the technological demand of the times, not as much skilled as we have ought to be and so on. There are also reasons – corruption of the system, societal issues like caste divide, environmental issues like regular drought & floods that push back the development, etc.

The friend of mine loves her baby. The kid gives her lot of warmth and a reason to stay happy every day. Her world has changed for a better reason. She is happy to bring the kid on earth. She gets to have a 6 months paid maternity leave from the IT company she is a part of. That means, she could enjoy the whole process of becoming a mother, and as well has a better probability of raising the kid healthy & well-educated (please tell me if that is not true). Of the two kids, my friend’s would have a higher possibility to contribute to the economy (bargaining a stereotype, I am open to fine-tuning & yeah, not meaning to hurt any feelings). 

Okay, what about adopting a baby and give the kid a better chance with forward-looking opportunities? We can do that too, right!? We don’t have to give birth to a new baby and call it ours. This will remain an open-ended statement till the time I also go through the entire process and learn if I had really needed to give a new birth than just the adoption (there are laws which regulate adoption process & they are not too easy). It seems that the child-raising process gives one new perspective on life and new experience.. 

That’s it. I don't know more what I was saying..