IN THE AMERICAN SCI-FI COMEDY FILM IDIOCRACY (2006) the least intelligent, least healthy and most culturally regressive people massively outbreed the most sophisticated folks -- creating a future world of unparalleled stupidity. 

That disturbing scenario raises an uncomfortable question for anyone who is interested in transformation, development, wisdom-culture and the nuanced improvement of human depth & well-being.

The question is:

Are the best people and the people most committed to improved futures breeding enough?

We all know some excellent parents in Emerging communities.  There are some discussions around Game B parenting.  However, let's be honest -- we also know a lot of people who are not breeding and are not even sure how they feel about the possibility.

These may be people who fear (often with good reason) that their internal work, social efforts and deepening personal relationships might be compromised by throwing children into the mix.  People who are brilliant, deep and culturally potent but for whom a couple of babies seem like they would "get in the way.:

Joe Lightfoot -- that affable Aussie chap who coined the term "liminal web" -- recently penned a playful (and oddly Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle themed) article on 6 Person Parenting. 

The article exhibits a lot of energy and insight, as Joe's work always does, but you can also almost hear his own mind trying to solve the "problem" of whether or how to devote precious life resources to basic human reproduction.

Okay -- maybe new scientific breakthroughs will give us a few extra centuries to breed.  Maybe we can make superbabies in labs now.  Maybe some people need to focus on the Big Picture while others specialize in reproduction.  Maybe there are too many humans already. 

Maybe.

However, the kind of people who inherit the Earth have always been those who outbreed their competitors.  If you feel like you belong to an important community or that your insights are valuable then you should at least seriously consider producing more new humans. 

Of course, we do not want to be slaves to genes.  We are not obsessed with bloodlines and we do not wish to overpopulate our ecosystems.  Nor do we want to undermine the sheer time & energy (already stretched thin) that we have to devote to good, subtle and radical efforts.  

But if we aren't breeding, if we aren't even encouraging each other to breed (and setting up life conditions that make that easier) then what kind of contribution are we actually making?