No Alternative

There are moments when something is witnessed by individuals, which leave them with no hope. Some events are such that they leave no room for optimism, and this could usher in a fatalistic or defeatist attitude among people. Such is the impression I got when i watched a documentary titled "The Crude Awakening". It talked about how the world is going to run out of Oil, and we have not thought about the alternatives. We have not yet realized the implications of life without this so called Black Gold.

In Spanish, the word Oil is described as 'Los Excrimentos de Diablo', meaning the blood of the devil. The reason for this is mentioned in the documentary that Oil is a magnet for majority of the wars in the world. This point has been starkly reflected in the US War in Iraq. The Iraqi invasion has symbolized that America wants to use its Oil, because its own oil production has peaked, and so it has no more new reserves. The self-sufficiency of US oil production will be depleted in about 20-30 years.

OPEC has exaggerated the Oil production input of several nations, and no one is telling the true picture. Saudi Arabia could be a case in point. When Oil was discovered in the beginning, its GNP was $28000. Now, when it sells the oil to the west, its GNP currently has fallen to $6000. This is the major reason, according to the documentary, that the fundamentalist movement has risen and is a big threat to the west.

The main problem lies probably in our minds and attitude, as well as the economic orientation. Now, the economy has merged so much with this product that operating without it is next to impossible. People do not even think about the consequences because it satisfies their materialistic needs, and it provides them convenience beyond measure.

Cars are such a big fashion nowadays, that to think of a bicycle or walking is considered almost blasphemous. China is the largest car market in the world, and since it is associated with prosperity, it would be almost impossible to do away with it. The suburbs of a particular place have been so oriented outside of the city that to get there will be almost impossible without cars or other oil guzzlers.

The other problem lies in the fact that for our so called advancements in technology, we have not been able to utilize it for alternative energy resources. So, when the politicians in the US or other developed countries talk about creating Green Jobs and making more eco-friendly policies, they are only talking the talk but not walking the walk. This problem of lack of alternatives makes us wonder as to how humans can evolve. Slowly, but surely, we are being drained from below, and it will be too late to realize it.

The return to the Stone age is not far fetched if we run out of oil, but the optimism of man is such that some ingenuity can come out of it. But, if oil runs in our blood and if we worship petrol as a religion, our ingenuity, like the oil, may run out as well.