As for not reproducing, he’s got a point there. But we don’t need that to tell us there’s an awful lot of stress in modern life.

What causes stress? A lot of things – lack of resources, war, pestilence, too much noise, too much crime, long commutes. What causes a lot of things? Overpopulation. Hell is other people. Hence we have evolved non-reproduction as a response to stress. It’s not maladaptive.

But here’s what is maladaptive: megacities. Crowding too many people together in a small area creates an artificial experience of overpopulation.

Suburban sprawl would have ameliorated that, but the policy makers decided that was evil. So we’re left with a worse evil.

It would be nice to rightsize cities. Top out the population per city at around 300 thousand, no buildings taller than fifteen stories, and have more cities instead of bigger cities. But our deep water harbors are where they are. Perhaps the Internet and telepresence can help. Telecommute for office workers and waldoes for dockworkers?