The birthrate is falling – not just in the US but worldwide. The main reasons cited in articles are that the cost of living has skyrocketed, healthcare is costly, and homes and rent are constantly increasing.

However, we should look at the health of women. Geeta S. Iyengar (daughter of B. K. S. Iyengar) says about women, “The wealth of a nation and the health of the future generation depend upon her physical and mental well-being.”

I am worried about the mental health of young women in this country. I don’t think women feel secure. If there is no security, women will not have children. I think young men feel the same way.

I am a big proponent of society taking care of women and children. It does take a village to raise a child. There needs to be support. Women often cannot depend on a spouse or a partner to help care for the children. Then the burden is on the woman’s shoulders – it’s just too much.

Young women today are super aware of their choices and consequences. There is no longer blind faith or peer pressure. Everything is calculated and judged. Also, the internet has opened the eyes of young women.

The internet is changing the brains of young people today. But, unfortunately, it’s adding more confusion and distraction. As a result, the simple ways of being a human are changing. For example, social interactions are changing because of computers. Many young people want to interact with their peers over social media.

If the human brain is changing, then procreation is changing too. What do we value in life? Humans may become desensitized to having children – and computers (and its applications) will be to blame.

Furthermore, many articles say that the world is overpopulated – this is BS! For example, in 2015, I spent several weeks in India. Recently, I looked at India’s official sex ratio. The records say there are 1020 females per 1000 males in 2022. I don’t believe those numbers at all! I visited four different cities in India; they have a sea of men and boys (India favors male children over female children). So, I never trust official numbers.

In the future, as human beings, we need to figure out what we want in life. Do we value human life? How can we take better care of the Earth? Do we want to integrate supercomputers and artificial intelligence into our lives?

The time is now to understand the human brain and procreation. But unfortunately, the world is in jeopardy, and the solution, this time, is not in our hands.

Namaste.