In the body of the human race, only roughly half of the people -- the women -- can reproduce. One man, or even none directly, can fertilize tens of thousands of women in his lifetime or a lifetime of ejaculations. Because of this, vasectomies are not effective means of curbing population even in strongly monogamous societies. A woman that can bear children can always find a means to get pregnant and bear children.
The first thing education does is increase the length of the generation. Education improves the odds that women will have children later rather than sooner. This is a crucial matter since repeated generations of early teenagers having children, with fifty year old women being great grandmothers, does not give enough time for humans to die if maintaining population is desired. If a society's population remained fixed if parents had two children at an average age of twenty five, population will increase if parents suddenly had children -- even just the same two children -- starting at age 15. And more often than not, young adults that have children will more likely have more than two children per couple.
Education also increases the odds that women will have fewer than two children, or even no children. Educating the public is an excellent use of surplus energy because it keeps on giving, generation to generation, as it is passed down. While sex education teaches the uses of contraception, more far-reaching education can inspire women to sacrifice having large families for the sake of human progress, even though at first it may be for the sake of a career or personal freedom.
Such a program represents pouring a tremendous amount of a society's surplus energy into the lives of women. This will, in turn civilize and empower women. If the study of history gives us any indication, this will also create a social force that would civilize and temper men.
Obesity on a personal or species-wide scale is a disease. Aesthetically, it may be considered beautiful by some or many, but that beauty comes at a cost that the human race cannot afford. Mother Teresa loved children to such a degree that she saw no reason to limit the number of children in the world. This is a dangerous thought because real love for children requires the self-sacrifice capable of limiting the number of them in the world.
Religions or political policies that limit access to or forbid contraception promote values that are antagonistic to the harmonious progress, and even survival, of the human race. Scientists now warn that the planet can become uninhabitable by humans if CO2 levels continue to rise as climate models anticipate. We may adapt, some other species may adapt, but this means nothing short of catastrophe for human civilizations.
The harsh mathematical reality is that the challenge of self-sacrifice falls on women. More and more women need to become aware of humanity's plight and consciously choose to limit their procreative instinct. It is precisely because this is a hardwired instinct that it will require a tremendous surplus energy in society for such a culture of self-sacrifice to form and support this choice.
Traditionally, this kind of surplus energy comes from organized religions or governments. No private individual, even Bill Gates, has access to that kind of surplus energy. Even past centralizing mythic figures, such as Gandhi, might have had a hard time selling the idea that women should make the ultimate sacrifice. National independence probably sounded a lot more agreeable.
The first step is for each of us to start to think about these issues. We need to be clear in our own minds about the challenges and the possible solutions. When we share them with others, we need to understand our audiences. We need to be open to possible solutions so long as they realistically address the challenges we face. Whatever role we can play in making surplus energy available to women is a role we must play. Whether that translates into sex education, general education, job training, or whatever, it is a good thing as just about any kind of well-directed surplus energy in the hands of women will translate into a lower population rate.
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