Comfort Addiction and the eventual triumph of the American Way

Today, October 15, 2007, is Blog Action Day. What's supposed to happen, and what is happening, is that a whole lot of people with blogs are supposed to post about one topic in order to heighten awareness of that topic. Today all the blogs are about the environment.

"Environment." That words covers a lot of territory. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the garbage we dispose of and how we dispose of it. There's a lot to worry about.

And worry I do. I like to think of myself as environmentally conscious, meaning I'm concerned about the negative effects of the earth of my behavior. I do recycle. I bring newspaper and other used paper products to the recycling center here in Wheeling, IL, as well as cans and plastic, rather than just throwing those items in the garbage. (Also, when I become king, littering will be punishable by death. Too stern a punishment you say? Get over it. Too many logistical issues to work out, what with all the litterers in the world? We'll work out the issues. But I digress.)

Does my recycling cancel out the deleterious effects of my driving a fairly sizable, older vehicle, the kind of vehicle in which a family of six could live comfortably in the trunk? No, I' m thinking bringing a couple of bags of newspapers to get recycled every couple of weeks doesn't even things out. But it's a comfortable car, smooth riding and fast, and I like it and I don't want to give it up.

Nor do I want to give up being able to set the air conditioner in summer to "frostbite." On the flip side, seasonally speaking, I like to have heat in the winter. I also like water. I like being able to turn on the tap and get what seems to be an unceasing supply of fresh water.

In general, I like being comfortable. Most Americans do; most people in the industrialized world do too. Even Al Gore does, as evidenced by the the energy sucking home he has in suburban Nashville, although he is making it more energy efficient. The author Kurt Vonnegut said we are addicted to fossil fuels. Well, that's part of it. But in general, we are addicted to comfort.

I want to be able to use my computer or watch tv with a light on that's bright enough for me to see, have a fridge full of edible delectables, and when I get bored with all that I want to jump into my touring automobile and drive across the country, should I so choose. That's what makes me an American. The freedom to do whatever the heck I want, in comfort.

So here's my challenge, America. Figure out a way for me to do what I want, comfortably, and not kill the planet at the same time. I'll continue to recycle, because I think it's a good thing, and I'll continue to shut the lights off when I leave a room.

But I don't want to drive a car that looks like a one-passenger insect just because it might get 100 miles to the gallon. No one else does either. American automakers, figure out a way to build a big-ass car like you used to make before I was born and make it economic fuel-wise.

And that's another thing: Fuel. Oil companies, guess what? Oil is a finite resource. There are only so many dinosaurs and other critters that died in the cause of making us fuel for all our vehicles. All the oil will be sucked out of the earth sooner or later, so how about stepping up to the plate and doing your duty as patriotic Americans, or for you non-Americans companies, good citizens of the world. Look for other ways to fuel our cars and planes and trains. I have faith in you. You will find alternative sources of energy for us all to maintain our comfortable lifestyles. And you will find a way to make an enormous profit doing so. Like I said, I have faith in you.

We here in this country, and people all over the world, cannot allow ourselves to be stuck in the past, because if we stay the course and keep doing what we're doing, we will not have a future. We all need to change the way we think and act regarding energy and the environment. I have faith that the United States of America will lead the rest of the world in discovering new ways to live our lives, the comfortable lives of modern people, in such a fashion that we will be able to have a world not depleted of resources and dying, but rather one that is not merely livable, but rather one that is a joy to live in, where we have clean air and water and land and everyone on the planet has access to enough air, water and land to live a life worth living.

Americans will lead the way to making a better world because Americans will find a way to make money making a better world. It's the American Way.