The new president needs to "Explain to the nation that the Americans, who consume twice as much energy per capita as rich Europeans (and have nothing to show for it, as they are not richer, do not live longer, are not better educated and do not work less) should embark on a long road of trying to live within some sensible limits, which means less and not more."
A great truth that does not just apply to energy and the environment, but also to our financial crisis. We are living without limits and it is not a happy life. It is an isolated life where our well being is constantly threatened by outside forces. We may lose our job, our health care, our status. Our neighbors may outdo us and make us feel inadequate by having a bigger house, a wider TV screen, a greener lawn, a bulkier car, or what have you. They unsettle us by going on longer and more expensive trips, making us feel small and irrelevant.
It is a life-style driven by inane consumerism that does nobody any good. Endlessly churning through stuff, we need more oil, more water, more materials than any other country in the world.
Our endless pursuit for more stuff leaves us constantly in need of more. As soon as we get something we quickly trash it (up to 90% of the items bought end up in the trash within 6 months) and go look for other -even better- stuff. We want to be movers-and-shakers, having access to the latest must-have gadget, only to replace it by another must-have gadget within 6 months, like rats endlessly pressing levers to get more drug.
We isolate ourselves in ever bigger houses, with our own bedrooms, bathrooms, living spaces,TV sets, stereos, etc. Constantly putting up barriers and removing ourselves from others. We are addicted to cell phones, iPods, and other devices that interrupt our social lives, isolate us acoustically, and attention-wise from the world around us. Nothing like going to lunch with someone who spends the entire time talking to others on their cell phone. And why? To show us how indispensable they really are? Is that the idea? To invite us so they can show us how important they are?
Wake up America, ditch your car, your TV, your iPod, your cell phone, and all that other isolating, energy wasting junk that clutters up your lives. Go on a walk and talk to your friends.
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