What is the most important resource?

In speaking with my GF about how many kids we’d like to eventually have, I was reminded of a story I heard a while back (a podcast that referenced the story, actually), about The Duggars. The host of the podcast was talking about how many negative comments he’d seen in reference to the story in his newspaper.

Most people’s objections to the Duggars having an inordinate amount of children seem to be that they are selfishly using more resources than the average family.

My view is that a person is a greater asset, by and large, than the sum of all natural resources that they might consume in their lifetime. After all, it isn’t oil sitting underground, or food growing in the fields that will solve the problems facing the world today—it’s people. Of course, there will always be those who sponge off of society and contribute very little, if anything, but these are the minority. Even if one person doesn’t solve a worldwide problem, even helping make one life better is an accomplishment, is it not?

What do you think? Large families—selfish or not?