The Virtue of Having a Child
“The Virtue of Having a Child is to bring forth the human race, since you cannot survive on the earth without one. It isn’t our fault that we lack the virtue of having a child. I cannot function without the love, the good thoughts, the inspiration.
“The Virtue of Having a Child is to bring forth the human race, since you cannot survive on the earth without one.” – Jean Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract: or, What is Virtue? “Man is born, in a very truth, to be a father, and a father’s work is never finished but only made new.” – Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Robert R. Livingston, 7 March 1818
Life isn’t always fair, but human nature is. Man is born, in a very truth, to be a parent. A father’s work is never finished but only made new. But most of us don’t have children and this is our fault. It isn’t our fault that we lack the virtue of having a child.
We don’t possess the virtue of having a child because we let others govern our lives and because we live with selfishness. We need to stop the self-centeredness and start sharing our lives with others.
Our selfishness prevents us from receiving anything of value in life. Everything is subject to other people’s wants and needs. If I give something to another person, I feel I am lessening my own need for something else.
Feelings are like food. They can be quite useful. And once you have them, you’re dependent on them. I cannot function without the love, the good thoughts, the inspiration. I need them to live.
Offering the love to someone else creates an atmosphere where feelings can flourish. It is a gift to your loved one and as such you feel happy for the other person. People in general feel a deeper level of love when they are exposed to loving gestures. Sometimes it takes an unexpected gesture to evoke deep feelings of love and warmth. Just a simple greeting could do the trick. Your loved one may even feel a different kind of love towards you now.
Quality of life increases when you offer the feeling of love. This will influence your thinking and actions. In other words, your thinking about things is influenced by your feeling of love towards others. It’s not just an abstract thought, it’s a tangible quality.
So, when God created Adam and Eve he did not create them to become selfish and solitary. You see, he wanted each of us to come into the world with the same selfless love we should feel for our own souls. He wanted us to come into the world with the selflessness we need to live a virtuous life.
Offering love to your loved ones will elevate your being and will make you feel more fulfilled than you ever had before. It will help you cope with the things you face on a daily basis.
Self-centeredness prevents you from doing that. We think only of ourselves. We are concerned with things that do not concern others.
You cannot think of yourself and others at the same time. When you do, you begin to believe that you are alone. Feeling loved and cared for makes you realize that you are not alone and that others care about you.
Loving a child teaches you about what it means to be selfless and how you should be. That’s why it’s a must to teach children the virtue of loving one another.
