不要因为对未来充满恐惧就选择不要孩子

Jessica Kibblewhite grew up the daughter of an astronomer. Her dad, Edward Kibblewhite, invented, among other things, a system that allows scientists to take clearer pictures of stars.

杰西卡·基布怀特是一位天文学家的女儿。她的父亲爱德华·基布怀特发明了一种系统，可以让科学家们拍摄更清晰的恒星照片。

Given his background, Jessica asked him for help finding clarity on a different subject: starting a family.

考虑到他的背景，杰西卡请他帮忙澄清另一个问题:组建家庭。

The world, Jessica told Edward at StoryCorps last October, seemed like an especially difficult place, and she and her husband had been struggling with the idea of bringing children into it.

去年10月，杰西卡在StoryCorps告诉爱德华，世界似乎是一个特别困难的地方，她和她的丈夫一直在为把孩子带进这个世界的想法而苦苦挣扎。

She felt scared for the future.

她对未来感到害怕。

Edward, now 75, asks her what the alternative is.

现年75岁的爱德华问她还有什么选择。

"Not having a kid in the 21st century," Jessica says.

“在21世纪不生孩子，”杰西卡说。

"I think if you do not have children because you fear the future, that is to misunderstand what it means to be human," he says.

“我认为，如果你因为害怕未来而不要孩子，那就误解了作为人类的意义，”他说。

Edward says he grew up during a time of great fear as well. He was born after World War II, and there was an air force base with a missile site not far from his high school. Students were invited to tour the facility and touch the warhead of a hydrogen bomb.

爱德华说他也是在恐惧中长大的。他出生于二战后，在离他高中不远的地方有一个空军基地和一个导弹基地。学生们被邀请参观该设施并触摸氢弹的弹头。

"We were pretty sure that these missiles would be fired," he says. "I had a whole plan I had worked out – an underground place to go. ... I mean, the whole population believed we would be burned to death."

他说:“我们非常确定这些导弹会被发射。”“我制定了一个完整的计划——去一个地下的地方。我的意思是，所有人都相信我们会被烧死。”

The period following World War II was plagued with global fear of imminent, mass annihilation. Edward acknowledges that today's future also holds real fears, but, he tells his daughter, it's vital to remain hopeful.

第二次世界大战之后的这段时间，全球都在担心即将发生的大规模毁灭。爱德华承认，今天的未来也存在真正的恐惧，但他告诉女儿，保持希望至关重要。

"Having you as a daughter was a very moving experience, and in the case of my parents, WWII started on Sept. 1, 1939. My sister was born the next year," he says. "So having children is an act of hope, and if you do not have children because of fear, then you have given up hope for the future."

“有你这样一个女儿是非常感人的经历，就我父母而言，1939年9月1日，二战开始了。第二年，我的妹妹出生了。”“所以有孩子是一种希望的行为，如果你因为恐惧而没有孩子，那么你就放弃了对未来的希望。”

For Jessica and her husband, Sam Horn, the StoryCorps conversation played a big role in their decision to try to start a family.

对于杰西卡和她的丈夫萨姆·霍恩来说，StoryCorps的对话在他们决定要建立家庭的过程中起了很大的作用。

"Maybe it's a choice," Jessica says, "to feel hope."

“也许这是一种选择，”杰西卡说，“去感受希望。”

StoryCorps is a national nonprofit that gives people the chance to interview friends and loved ones about their lives. These conversations are archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, allowing participants to leave a legacy for future generations.

StoryCorps是一个全国性的非营利组织，它让人们有机会采访朋友和亲人的生活。这些对话被保存在国会图书馆的美国民俗中心，让参与者为后代留下遗产。