making a difference

Many people I know (and respect) ascribe to the following philosophy regarding procreation of offspring: there's no way I'm going to be cruel enough to birth a child and condemn them to live in a horrible world like ours. Fair enough. Seems even altruistic, in a way. But I see things differently. I welcome the prospect of my 2 daughters moving in and among this frail and broken world and affecting change for the better. This perspective may beg of some the comment "Oh, my! You are creating martyrs and unwilling crusaders, not children!" I disagree wholeheartedly. Though (I believe) we are set here to make a difference, we also consequently get to enjoy the glorious fruits of the difference we make. In my eyes, the human race is a lot like an old house: we all, either passively or actively, either assist the process of decay, or we actively and courageously determine to re-build what is broken...from the ground up, if necessary. Personally, I hope my daughters commit boldly to the latter path; heroes are hard to find these days. But, to address the joyous balance, I hope most of their days are such that the only energy they expend is on repeated laughter, with the warm spring sun hitting their faces while hiking the Royal Arch trail or skiing the black runs of Copper Mountain, with their mom and dad somewhere behind, trying their best to keep up...in this best of all possible worlds.