38.

Having children seems to be a requirement for a meaningful life. You can be the crappiest person, but as long as you have a kid, you are redeemed. You can be a hella rich, good-looking, profoundly generous and charitable genius but you will mean less, in the end, if you don’t have children. You would be considered incomplete if not suspect. Something must be wrong, you’re missing some organs, something must have derailed you.

I’m bringing this up because it’s another one of those unthinking, unexamined, “natural” things in the default settings of society that I hate. “Have kid” is checked under preferences (just under “Get married” and “Buy a house”), and if you uncheck it, there’s bound to be a concerned dialogue pop-up asking if you’re sure.

Times are changing though. People are choosing; they are not getting married and not having kids. Why? Because they are happier that way.

(An unthinking, unexamined default setting I like is “Wear clothes.”)