Long before a certain gentleman from Mumbai became a sensation through his controversial remarks on ‘antinatalism’, the Buddha had already said that birth is the source of all suffering. But, so what? What do we do?
Mr Samuel from Mumbai understands that our consent can’t be sought before we are born, but insists that “it was not our decision to be born”. In fact, he insists on getting paid for every day that he has to live, and has even sued his parents in court.
(Disclaimer: Both his parents are lawyers!!)
Let me introduce you to self-proclaimed anti-natalist, Raphael Samuel, who agrees that the entire ‘suing parents in court thing’ was a publicity stunt that he had pulled off to gain people’s attention. Notwithstanding, he used the momentum to talk about important issues related to childbirth, especially people’s right to not have children if they do not want to.
Child-free proponents, anti-natalists, voluntary human extinction movement, ‘efilists’ (who want to break the cycle of selfishness perpetuated by the “blind god called evolution”) and several other groups around the world subscribe to the philosophy that giving birth is an immoral choice because the child who is born, has no say in the matter. Therefore, bringing sentient beings to a world full of suffering without their consent is not a morally righteous thing to do. The other important aspect that Raphael Samuel talks about with regard to childbirth is environmental degradation due to overpopulation. In fact, he feels that it is better for human beings to phase out eventually since most people are grossly unhappy with their own lives in contemporary times.
His Facebook page, Nihilanand, features posters of him with a huge fake beard, an eye-mask proclaiming anti-natalist messages like, “Isn’t forcing a child into this world and forcing it to have a career, kidnapping, and slavery?” Or, “Your parents had you instead of a toy or a dog, you owe them nothing, you are their entertainment.”
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