It has been 10 years since I had
a vasectomy at the age of 25.
After a decade of life and self-reflection,
I can very confidently say
that it has absolutely been
the right choice for me to make.
Today I am going to share why
I made this decision.
Something that so few would do
at such a young age.
And why this is such an important
part of my life path.
First, I want to say that I think having children
is one of the most beautiful
things we can do with our lives
and one of the most beautiful
parts of humanity.
So this is not a video that in any way,
shape, or form is trying to convince anyone
to have a vasectomy or not have a child.
This is just my personal reasons
and something that I feel is really
just a meaningful thing to share with others.
The first reason that I chose
to have a vasectomy is a pretty obvious one
and that is birth control.
You know, a way to not have a child.
Now in our society,
it seems to be generally considered that
birth control is the woman's responsibility.
Ultimately, I find this absurd.
It takes a man and a woman
to have a child together generally,
or a sperm and an egg.
So the idea that the responsibility
lies on one half of the partnership
goes against all basic logic.
It is an equal responsibility.
This was me choosing to take on that responsibility.
I also believe that the responsibility
of the financial aspect of birth control
is something that should be equally split.
Now a really large catalyst of this
at the time was that every one
of my long-term partners,
my committed partners that I had been with
had had negative side effects from
being on pharmaceutical birth controls.
A big one of those was depression.
And all of those potential negative
side effects could be alleviated,
could no longer be a problem.
So for me, that was a very, you know,
logical and rational decision.
This is something that I could do.
I did the research and it was
a very simple procedure that could
prevent a woman
having to take a pill every day
or have some sort of patch,
or an iud.
So I felt like this simple procedure
was really outweighing
what the woman would have to do.
It was a pretty basic call for me.
I choose to look at my health,
the health of my partner,
and the health of humanity
in a very holistic way.
And the pharmaceutical industry
is absolutely one of the most corrupt
industries that are out there.
I adamantly believe that the health
and well-being of humankind,
of you and me,
should not be a profitable venture.
And the pharmaceutical industry stands
very much at the foundation of making
billions and trillions of dollars
off of people being sick
and needing their pills.
And the birth control industry
is very much tied in with the
entire pharmaceutical industry.
The reality is that the birth control industry,
the modern day birth control industry,
causes an incredible amount
of destruction to this earth.
Our pharmaceuticals are very much
polluting our waterways,
the water of our many plant and animal relatives,
and our water as well .
These pharmaceuticals are building up
in our own drinking supply
and putting all sorts of chemicals into us
that are really not beneficial for us.
So the birth control industry,
through pills, and through pharmaceuticals
is really not in alignment with living
in a holistic, non-destructive way on this earth.
Another note along with that,
is the incredible amount of trash
that this industry creates.
INCREDIBLE amount of trash.
I have chosen hundreds of ways to live
in which do not create trash
and instead can actually be producing soil
and regenerating our earth.
The pharmaceutical industry
and the birth control industry
is not in alignment with that.
Equally important to all of this,
is just knowing my personal path in life
and what I want in life.
A lot of people choose to have children
because they feel pressure from family or society.
A lot of people choose to have children
because they think it will make them happy
and they will find their place in life.
For me I know that having children was not
what was going to bring me my purpose
and my passion.
I was not willing to have children
just because society believes that I should,
or because some family members or friends
believe that I should.
I felt and still, 10 years later, feel
extremely confidently that my life path
is not one of having children.
Honestly, that one single reason alone
is enough for this entire video.
That one reason is plenty.
So a lot of people have shared
over the years, with me.
They say, "But Rob, you are the exact type
of person that should be having children.
You need to raise children to be
the change makers that this world needs."
I totally understand that.
But here is the thing.
I believe that I do not need to personally
have children to affect the positive change
that I want to have on this earth.
I have dedicated my life to being
of service to earth, humanity,
and all of our plant and animal relatives.
That includes the millions and millions
of children that exist on this earth
that do not have enough parenting
in their lives, that do not have role models.
I do not personally need to be part of
giving birth to another child
in order to be a positive contributing
member of society to many children.
I have an incredible amount of respect
for teachers who dedicate their life
to educating our children.
I have chosen that life path, to working
with many children, to being a positive leader,
to being a positive role model for them.
I can do exactly what people say which is
be a person who is raising children,
but I do not personally have to have
those children to be playing that role in society.
On top of that, I really do not believe
that having children would be what would
make me happy.
I know myself well.
I have really self-reflected a lot.
I do not believe that I would be
coming from a place of living the life
of freedom and of dedication to service
if I was to have children.
I believe not having children is central
to me being able to be the change
that I truly want to see on this earth
and to being this contributing member of society.
Again, you can do that,
having children, but that is not
my personal path.
Often when media reports on my life
and my message, they choose to share
that I had a vasectomy.
They will say that I did it to prevent overpopulation.
I want to be very clear
that I did not have a vasectomy
to prevent overpopulation.
That was not a reason why I chose
to have a vasectomy.
That being said, if I was to have a child
I would choose to do it, more likely,
by adopting a child,
rather than having one of my own.
Part of the reason for that, is that I do
believe that there are enough human
beings on this earth.
There are enough children who really could
use the support of an adopting family or parent.
Having another child,
bringing another child onto this earth,
when there are already plenty of us
on this earth, definitely did play a role.
Now one thing that I do want to acknowledge
is that there are totally natural forms
of birth control that really are
empowering for women,
that help them with getting connected
deeply with their own body
and that certainly is an option.
To be honest, at the time, at the age of 25,
I was not knowledgeable on these
very natural forms of birth control,
that are really just about women
getting more deeply connected.
I was part of a disconnected system
when I made this choice.
I did not know about that.
That being said, absolutely this still
would have been my choice.
Even had I known about these
empowering natural forms of birth
control for women and for men.
Another really big factor in me choosing
to have a vasectomy is because it is
a very simple procedure,
that is very minimally invasive.
It is as simple as creating a small incision
and then being able to pull out the
vas deferens and just simply cutting them
and then cauterizing those ends in order
to make it so they cannot reconnect.
By doing that, it is just as simple
as preventing the semen and the sperm
from being able to connect.
So although, yes, this procedure did mean
me going into a hospital
and being a part of this industry,
overall, the procedure is something that
can actually be done outside of a hospital
and is as low-tech as a simple scissors
or knife, and a slight bit of fire.
So it is a very low tech, very doable surgery.
Something that we humans can do
without that industry.
Now most people that are hearing
about vasectomies, they do not really know
exactly how it works.
That could be...
simply not knowing could be
a reason not to, but as I educated myself.
I did a little more research.
Learning how simple the the the surgery is
and then, also, how it interacts with the body,
made it very clear that this was
an option that made sense for me.
So, just a little bit about what happens
is when I ejaculate.
You have sperm, and you have semen.
The sperm is actually what is going
to create a pregnancy, create a baby.
The semen is the fluid that carries the sperm.
So, when you have a vasectomy,
and you cut the vas deferens,
what happens is that the semen still
comes out when you ejaculate.
But the sperm is not able to go through
the vas deferens, the tubes,
it is not able to meet the semen,
which is the ejaculation.
So what happens is,
you still ejaculate.
The sperm just does not come out.
So actually, you would not be able to tell
that somebody, a sexual partner,
has had a vasectomy
because the the semen makes up
about 95 percent of the ejaculation.
So in all honesty, that was another big
part for me, of why I chose
to have a vasectomy is that it would
not negatively affect my sex life.
I was still able to continue my sex life
as before, but without the possibility
of someone getting pregnant.
And that played a large role.
Condoms, of course, are one form of birth control.
One of the most common forms of birth control.
And they are quite effective.
I have chosen, by having a vasectomy,
to have that be my form of birth control,
and not condoms.
That being said, of course, STDs can be
transferred whether you have had
a vasectomy or not.
That does not change that.
STDs can still be transferred.
So what is incredibly important in our
relationships, our sexual connections,
is really quality communication.
Having that open, honest communication
with our partners is one of the most
important forms of prevention of STDs.
Making quality judgment,
practicing self-control.
I think that having sex with others
is one of the most important things
for us to pay very close attention to.
To make sure that these are healthy
relationships, both physically,
and mentally, for ourselves,
and for our partners.
Just as important as ourselves,
making sure that we are entering into
relationships for our partners,
whether that partner is a lifetime partner,
or someone that we are with for a day,
or a week, or a month.
Open, honest communication,
and a deep, heartfelt connection,
is such an important part of
our sexual relationships.
For the younger people watching this,
and ultimately, for everybody watching this,
I want to share that I did not have sex
for the first time until I was out of high school.
I was 19 years old.
I was in college.
I want to say that I believe that waiting
to have sex until we are truly ready
is something that I would really
encourage everyone,
whether you are a teenager,
or whether you are an adult
in your 20s or 30s or 40s.
I do not think that we should pressure
ourselves to have sex as soon as possible.
I think that...
I just really want to share,
you know, with younger people,
that this is not me giving some
encouragement to have sex as soon as possible.
In our mainstream culture,
just having an open conversation about sex
could be perceived as this guy telling
younger people to have sex.
That is not the scenario.
I really, really cannot more strongly
encourage our younger people
that are watching this,
just younger people in general,
to really make sure that you are ready.
Sex is very powerful.
It can be one of the most deeply
meaningful connections, but it can also
be incredibly painful if we are not
in the right place, and we do not have
a partner that understands our needs
and is available for our needs,
and we are not available for them.
So I really truly want to encourage
when we are having sexual connections
at a young age, or any age, to make sure
that we are really in the right place.
There is a lot to be said
for just not having sex.
There is a lot that can be gained from
finding our purpose and passion in life
not through sex.
I am open to the idea of
also never having sex again.
I am open to the idea of a life
of celibacy, as well.
I think there is an incredible amount
to gain from that,
and an incredible amount of beauty
that can come from just finding ourselves
without the need for sex with another person.
We can meet our needs for love
and affection without sex.
And I often do.
Those are the reasons that I
chose to have a vasectomy.
I am so happy, after 10 years,
to be able to share this openly,
and candidly with all of you.
It very much has been an important
part of my life.
It very much has been a very simple...
me making a clear line
that I am not going to have children.
A very clear delineation of making
this decision that this is my life path.
I am sticking to it.
At the age of 35, I can say that this has
absolutely been the right choice for me.
I am very confident that I will feel
the same at 45 and 55 and 65 and 75.
But who knows, only time will tell that.
I also just do want to share again, that,
as if you do not already know this
already, that this video is not me
in any way trying to tell anyone
to have a vasectomy, but it is me openly
sharing for the people that are out there
who are thinking about it.
I do want to be a resource for those
who are contemplating having a vasectomy.
Or not just that... who are contemplating
not having children because they believe
that it is their life path.
I am here in full support of all of you
out there who are saying to yourself ,
"You know what, I just simply do not
want to have children."
Whether I do not want to have,
I do not want to give birth to a child,
or I do not want to be the other part
of that creation of a child.
I am here in full support to say that you
do not need to have children.
Even if your parents say so,
or all of the people around you say so,
or the tv says so,
or the people on it.
It is your choice whether
to have children or not.
I highly highly encourage those
who are having children
to make it a very conscious decision.
Not be a decision of "I am lonely,
so I want to have children,"
or "Other people think I should,
so I am going to have children."
This choice to share this video with you
of why I chose to have a vasectomy
is not just about the vasectomy, of course.
It is about a whole choice of freedom,
a choice of conscious decisions,
a choice of following our paths,
a choice of happiness and health,
not just for ourselves,
but for humanity as a whole,
and all of our plant and animal relatives.
So I hope that this has been a helpful
video for you.
Please do feel free to share this with
anyone that you think that this would be
of benefit, of service to.
And if you do want to help to spread
this message, then please like the video.
You can comment.
I will definitely answer some of the questions.
Share this as well, because that is how we
get this message out there,
of consciousness, of acceptance.
Oh beautiful!
I am here by this pond,
and I just saw a beautiful fish jump.
I would say that is time for me to say goodbye.
So I love you all very much
and I will see you again real soon.
Rob Greenfield