parenthood

So here I am in the midst of being a parent. I guess this is a status that you acquire and never relinquish, no matter what happens. I think my sentiments is certainly shared by all parents out there. Now that I have a child and the joys that comes with it, sometimes I wonder what took me so long?

I think for me, because we set out and explored the world and "did our thing" before starting a family was very big factor in why we are so happy with our child (so far). I think if we had our daughter 10 years ago, I am sure there would have been mixed feelings. The love and care for the child would have been just as strong, but the feeling of unfulfilled promises would have lingered.

Not too long ago, we considered not even having children due to the burden that it brings. Funny thing, its that precise reason that we decided to have children. We are at a point in our life where many aspect of our lives have stablized. I think the stability has led to a sense of unfulfillment and almost boredom. There was seemingly a lack of purpose in life. Perhaps if I was a CEO or the President there will be plenty of things to keep me preoccupied. The vast majority of us are probably in the same situation once we move past our youth.

I felt that we were very ready to have children and now that she has come, we couldn't be happier. I guess it also helps that so far things have been fairly smooth. But I think we know deep down inside that there will be plenty of challenges, hardships and joy in the years ahead. And that is exactly what we are very much looking forward to. It doesn't seem that there could possibly be anything more satisfying that having your own child. I think this is something I only realized once it happened to me. It even surprised me how strongly I feel about this.

Sometimes parents selfishly say to children that "I gave you life". I get the feeling that this is just part of the equation. The other side is "You gave me life".

Accountability

I don't consider myself as a tree hugging environmentalist, but I do consider myself a conservationist. What is developing in the Gulf of Mexico is not just solely the fault of British Petroleum, the owner of the oil rig responsible for potentially the biggest oil spill ever. I think this is a much bigger problem than that. Consider the hubris of the oil industry to drill into the sea bed miles below the surface of the ocean. We as a race do not even have a clear understanding of what goes on in the oceans, never mind at the sea bed and we have the arrogance to believe that we can disrupt that delicate environment safely.

Perhaps it's not hubris, but greed that is at play here. Its analogous to Wall Street's role in the financial crisis. People without a real comprehension continue to head down a riskier path in search for higher profits until a tipping point is reached.

Ultimately, we cannot place the entire blame on the oil industry either. We as a society all contribute to the problem. The complacency that exists in society leads us to take things for granted. We expect to have certain conveniences in life and we are intolerant of any disruption of that lifestyle. So can we as a society really put the entire blame on an industry that is there to fulfill a demand? The kind of "accountability" we place on oil companies and Wall Street banks makes it very convenient to scapegoat. We are not even aware of our own role in contributing to the problem. What if we all made a conscientious effort to conserve? Perhaps then the demand would not be high to the point where companies take undue risk in the pursuit of profit.

Let's for once look ourselves in mirror and be accountable.