美国国家公共电台 NPR StoryCorps: A Father's Advice: Starting A Family Is 'An Act Of Hope'（在线收听）

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NOEL KING, HOST:

It's StoryCorps time. Jessica Kibblewhite's dad, Edward Kibblewhite, was an astronomer. One of his inventions lets scientists take clear pictures of stars. Last year, Jessica and her husband were having a hard time deciding whether to have a kid, so she brought her dad to StoryCorps in Chicago and asked him to help her see more clearly.

JESSICA KIBBLEWHITE: Dad, I was hoping that you could share some advice. I'm finally at an age where I can appreciate much of what you share. So my husband and I are thinking about having a child. And we obviously know that the world right now is in a very difficult place. How do you stay optimistic?

EDWARD KIBBLEWHITE: I think how much advice you can give to the next generation is actually rather small. But I grew up after the war. We used to have a missile site five miles from our school, and you could actually touch the warhead of the hydrogen bomb. We were pretty sure that these missiles would be fired. And I had a whole plan. I had worked out...

J KIBBLEWHITE: (Laughter) Of course you did.

E KIBBLEWHITE: ...The underground place to go. And, you know, I mean, the whole population believed we would be burnt to death. So the fears of today are, as far as I can see, nothing compared to the fears that we were brought up.

J KIBBLEWHITE: I think that just to say that fear is unfounded...

E KIBBLEWHITE: That's not what I'm saying.

J KIBBLEWHITE: OK.

E KIBBLEWHITE: Well, perhaps it is.

J KIBBLEWHITE: But I do feel scared for the future.

E KIBBLEWHITE: What's the alternative?

J KIBBLEWHITE: Not having a kid in the 21st century.

E KIBBLEWHITE: I think if you do not have children because you fear the future, that is to misunderstand what it means to be human. Having you as a daughter was a very moving experience. And in the case of my parents - World War II started on September the 1, 1939 - my sister was born the next year. 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.

J KIBBLEWHITE: Maybe it's a choice to feel hope. Also, you and mom will make great grandparents (laughter).

E KIBBLEWHITE: Well, probably not (laughter).

J KIBBLEWHITE: You will (laughter).

KING: That was Jessica Kibblewhite and her father, Edward Kibblewhite.