On reproduction and on continuing the species

I think passing on your genes is about passing the burden of striving to be great to someone else out of existential fear. You give up your personal responsibility of striving for greatness, then rationalize it being for the "good of the species" because you are afraid of the total dedication it requires, because without it you will fail and thus fail the expectations your whole genetic lineage has passed and put on you.

So to avoid the responsibility you reproduce and try to make your kid to carry weight that you, your father, your grand father and all before that refused to do. It's about shifting the responsibility of living to the fullest and facing it all on your own; being the future, actually living in that world everyone before you so eagerly wanted to build. "Building it for the future generations" is a never ending cycle of postponing the goal, sooner or later someone has to do it, stop and start living, otherwise it's all pointless repetition.

I understand the fear: it's on you, and you aren't receiving any help, so it's safer to just follow the script of mediocrity, at least you won't be alone.. because when you strive for greatness you can't rely on anyone because they aren't willing to go there, they just aren't on that level, they are lagging behind, following the script, they can't go all in because they are investing their energy on the next iteration in hopes that they are willing to be great.. so for you there's nothing to rely on - you are alone.

To be great is to be better that the rest or at least most, e.g. a high level mathematician can't rely on elementary school math teacher, a high level mathematician is at the top, the mathematician has to make it alone.