Before coming here I knew there were plenty of horrors and misery in this world. I've seen and experienced some misery first hand, some with family and friends, and others I get regurgitated nightly to me on the evening news. I knew there was plenty of pain and suffering. If anything, this site has only reinforced and drove that realization deeper in me. Still, I'm not an antinatalist. I know there's beauty and happiness in this world, and there are good people in it trying to make things better. I understand it may be a futile endeavor, but I don't see any other realistic options. Wishing the world would cease to exist is unrealistic. It is what it is. All people can do is try and I don't begrudge anyone for trying. Now, that doesn't mean that I believe we should all try in perpetuity to make things better, especially for ourselves. As far as determining our own personal fate and destiny, I believe we have the absolute right to decide for ourselves when to keep trying, or when enough is enough, and to bow out of it all. There comes a point for most when misery and suffering begins to outweigh any benefit of sticking around. I support everyone's right to be the architect of their own destiny.
I wish the world was different. I wish there wasn't disease, war, famine, pain, natural disasters, greed, meaness, etc, etc, etc. But wishing the world was different and finding $20 will only get you $20. It's an unfair place for sure. But, I don't believe it was designed to be like this. I think it just is what it is. I think people can be cruel and I think they can be good, too, even the same people. I think many factors play into whether someone has a good life, or a not so good life.
No, my perspective hasn't changed. Some people end up with fairly decent lives, some don't. Because some have decent lives, I'd never move over to antinatalist beliefs. Frankly, I think antinatalism reeks of "god complex" mantra - believing you have the right to impose your beliefs on everyone because you know what's best for them. That is so beyond my pay grade. I don't know what's best for others, only they can decide that. I only know what's best for me based on my own unique circumstances. I think that's the epitome of what being pro-choice is. I see antinatalism as antithetical to being pro-choice.