7,000,000,000

The Philippines' symbolic seven billionth baby, Danica Camacho, rests on her mother's chest in Manila on Oct. 31, 2011.

A modern gentleman is ambivalent (the actual definition, not the one mistakenly substituted for “indifferent”) regarding news that 7 billion humans now make Earth their home.

• On the one hand: Life is a beautiful, new life is wonderful and a significant part of what makes today’s existence worthwhile is the promise of an even better tomorrow, whether for ourselves or future generations.

• On the other: Earth is already hot, flat and crowded. Man’s rate of reproduction was unsustainable decades ago, and each additional person on the planet exacerbates the problem and complicates changing our trajectory.

Click here for a bit of perspective regarding your place in a world of 7 billion others.