🚀 go-pugleaf

jcooley@world.std.com (John Cooley) writes:

>I just saw on one of those news shows on night TV an interview by Jane Pauly
>of Ann Landers.  Two of the stats that surprised me was that Ann Landers
>said when she asked her readers if they could do it all over again:

>         - Only 55% said they would have married their current spouse.

>         - 70% said they wouldn't have had kids if they could do it again.

>(Ann Landers said she got 50,000 responses on these questions.)

Yeah, so what's the point? Presuming that the poll is accurate [which is a 
big presumption, given the population sampled], it isn't helpful.  You're 
talking about the appeal of a certain lifestyle.  Such is individualistic.  
Moreover, people may enjoy something at a particular time in their lives, but 
not at other times.  I know many people whose kids are grown and if asked 
would they want to start all over *if they could do it again*, would answer 
no.  However, they have no regrets about having the kids when they did.

Also, feelings about a broad experience are often relative and controlled by 
a narrower experience associated with it.  If you were to ask parents the 
survey question, when they were making sacrifices to put kids through 
college, you'd get one answer.  If you were to ask the same parents in their 
dotage, when their kids were caring for them, you'd get another answer.  In 
fact, I'd venture to say that many people, if surveyed, would admit having 
days in their lives when they themselves regretted being born.  That doesn't 
mean life has to be bad for most.

Ciccio