To Have or Not to Have Children

A Meeting Built for Courage

Meeting #904 opened with three prepared speeches whose titles set a lively tone: “Dare to try,” “citywalk for what,” and “What’s a good comment?” Around them, the evening’s biggest experiment took shape: a structured mini-debate on whether to have children. With opening statements, timed arguments, free debate, and conclusions, the format turned a familiar life choice into a serious exercise in listening, evidence, and persuasion.

Two Sides, Many Definitions of Happiness

The affirmative team described parenthood as “a celebration of life,” a responsibility that makes you stronger, and “something you can only learn … through giving and loving.” The negative team answered with financial freedom, self-realization, and “infinite possibilities.” No one reduced the question to a simple win. Instead, the room tested how personal experience shapes the meaning of happiness.

The Surprise That Made the Debate

The strongest moments came from the unexpected. A debater stepped in only five minutes before the meeting, while extensive preparation on the affirmative side brought calm under pressure. One point—that your children may be “the person who loves you the most”—was so difficult to counter that it “literally threw me off on the stage.” By the end, the vote mattered less than the critical thinking the debate sparked.