Welcome back, everyone, the 1001 classic short stories and tales.

I've got a short story for you that actually became a classic by Kurt Vonnegut called

2B R-O-2-B. Translated, to be or not to be. It's a short story that originally appeared in the magazine

Worlds of If in the early 1960s, it is in the public domain.

This satirical piece explores themes of population control and the moral implications of

voluntary death in a future society where aging and diseases have been conquered,

and the population is deliberately capped at 40 million to ensure quality of life.

This narrative reflects the absurdities and moral dilemmas faced by individuals in a world with strict population management. The story

revolves around Edward K. Whaling Jr., who is anxiously waiting for his wife to give birth to

triplets in a hospital that doubles as a setting for a shocking

societal norm. For every new life, another must willingly end. As wailing grapples with the

heart-wrenching decision of which of his children will live, he is confronted by various

characters that symbolize the darker utilitarian aspects of this engineered

world. These include Dr. Hitz, who promotes the concept of population control, and Liora Duncan,

a termination facilitator, typical spin for the person who does the killing. What an idea for a

short story, and what a well-written piece this is, which is why it's

become a classic. This would definitely create some conversation around the dinner table.

And now, To Be or Not to Be by Kurt Vonnegut. Warning, violence.

Keep in mind this was written 60 years ago, and no matter what your age today, you've already seen and witnessed what some governments will do in times of severe crisis or sickness.

There were no prisons, no slums, no insane asylums, no cripples, no poverty, and no wars.

All diseases were conquered. So was old age.

Death, barring accidents, was an adventure for volunteers.

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