The Equation

By: Skip Stein

 

(Note: the above should read "Energy over Conservation *EQUALS* Freedom over Politics.)

What we have is a failure to communicate on a Global scale.  The Planet Earth is finite; a single spec in an unlimited Universe.  Yet we little creatures crawling around the surface have huge energy demands; well beyond any other indigenous creature co-habiting this Big Blue Marble!

The energy requirement increase exponentially with population and as civilization comes to Third World Countries.  Energy is needed to reduce and eventually eradicate poverty, hunger and suffering.

If you ask an individual on the planet; I bet he/she would agree that what they really want are these things:

·        Freedom from Hunger.

·        Freedom to Believe and Practice Personal lifestyles; not infringing on others.

·        Freedom from infringement on personal liberties and lifestyles by others.

·        Freedom to Love Friends & Family.

·        Freedom to Pursue Happiness.

Of these things only the first requires direct forms of energy; energy to build shelter and produce and distribute food, goods and services.  The other items, all revolve around personal liberty and freedom (true enterprising individual will use energy in pursuit of the freedoms mentioned). While you may not believe that Freedom & Energy are linked, I believe they are; on a Global scale.

The ‘pundits’ and ‘experts’ are telling us that the “Planet is Warming”.  Well, so what!  It has warmed and cooled in cycles over billions of years and will continue long after our species has been nullified (that is another story).  Frankly, it doesn’t matter much if mankind has contributed to this warming; SO WHAT!  That’s Life!  "C’est la vie"!  The arrogance that our pitiful species can have such a Global Warming impact has never seen a Mount St. Helens explosion, a volcano erupt or a tornado/hurricane/tsunami strike or a cow fart!

Mankind has gone through changes and struggles over the centuries.  While we MUST learn from our mistakes, we cannot dwell on the past.  The future of Mankind is tied up in a very simple item; WE NEED ENERGY!

We need energy in all its forms, from power to equipment and transportation, power to manufacture goods and deliver services, power to energize our information networks; its all related to energy!  That energy can and does take a multitude of forms; but energy it is.

The World struggles with supply and demand; of goods and services, food and clothing, freedom and energy!  Oh, did I say FREEDOM and ENERGY!?  Yes I did!

You see, Freedom really equals Energy!  You cannot achieve the aforementioned goals without BOTH Freedom and Energy!  Both of these items are constrained today.  We have those preaching conservation goals that want to restrict the use of energy.  We have politicians who want to restrict individual freedom.  (See equation at the top of the page).

As conservation increases, energy decreases.  Sure the consumption is reduced, but consumption also reduces the demand and thus the incentive to PRODUCE more energy.  Without energy our goals are harder to achieve.

As political leaders use the ‘Energy Crises’ and “Global Warming” to force conservation, they reduce the incentives to PRODUCE more energy.  Without energy, our freedoms & goals become constrained and less attainable.

As politics increases the control over freedom and attempts to CONTROL our energy consumption, they gain control over individual lifestyle, the ability to pursue our goals and gain the power to control THE PEOPLE.

No matter your country, your racial heritage or your personal belief systems; we all desire to be Free.  Free to do what we will.  Common sense has created Civilization.  Civilization has created rules and systems of justice and enforcement.  Civilization allows free individuals to co-exist and co-inhabit the Planet.  Rules and governments exist to SERVE the PEOPLE. Only by granting the government certain rights over our freedoms can we co-exist peacefully.

The personal liberties you desire depend on the GRANTING of those same liberties to others.  If you deny another’s right to personal liberty and the pursuit of freedom, or attempt to restrain legal consumption and trade, you deny the civilized goals required to co-inhabit this planet.

Developing more energy sources is the only way to insure that civilization will continue.  Much of the current world strife is ENERGY centric.  Whether it’s oil & gas, ocean currents or other natural resources it relates to ENERGY.  Energy equals Freedom constrained by conservation and politics.

Give mankind the FREEDOM to explore and create and we will discover new sources of energy to meet demand.  New technologies to harness and store some of the vast sun-power bathing us every day.  New technologies to cleanly and safely harness geothermal, and carbon based reserves.  New technologies coming from the freedom to THINK and CREATE ideas, concepts and ENERGY.

Remember, ENERGY is NOT a bad word, idea or concept.  It is the basis for your freedom.  Politics constrain individual freedoms and attempt to curtail thought and ideas.  History has proven that this attempt will ultimately fail.  Don’t wait; force your political ‘leaders’ (again, that is another story) to reduce control over energy and the ability to produce it.  Remember the politicians in a free society WORK FOR THE INDIVIDUAL.  Don’t let them get away with the murderous constraints over the consumption of energy that is a cloak used to CONTROL your individual Freedom.

We all want to be FREE.  Let us find a way to produce the ENERGY that will allow us to continue to maintain a viable and civilized planet.  Do so with dedication that we all must live together.  Remember pollution is an infringement on individual rights too.  Destruction of the environment is not a necessary result of energy production.  We CAN produce clean and available Energy for the Planet.  Use your minds and find alternatives.  Use the planetary resources wisely.  Find ways to reduce consumption of irreplaceable resources by identifying new renewable energy resources.

Live Long & Prosper (yes I love Star Trek!).

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