Society of Fail
Today, I read an article in the news about Microsoft entering financial trouble. This got me thinking about our so-called recession. Businesses are a major part in Microsoft’s revenue, and they are apparently hesitating about upgrading their equipment, which is causing some grief. But, the recession is recursive in a way. People stop buying as much, so companies enter trouble and cut budgets. This causes people to fall into hard times, and stop buying as much. I guess I should not be surprised that our economy is inherently unstable… but sheesh.
It would seem our economy is based on continuous growth, and the spring is drying up. But has it? Really, I think the spring has just moved elsewhere and no one wants to move. We’ve built everything up on the wrong ideals, and these things are failing. Perhaps new companies, individuals, and ideas will take their place. There is so much we could do, and so much to be done, but no one wants to make the leap. People of future generations will say, "What were they thinking???"
And we can’t just say, "Oh, it will be over soon," because there is no end in sight. There have been recessions before, yes, but now we have 6.5 billion people on the line, a boom created by oil. It is unsettling to think that since some fertilizers are petroleum-based, the plants grown from it are part petrol, and we eat these plants. Not only does oil power everything we do, we’re MADE of it. When there is no more oil left, one can but shudder to think of the events to follow. Does everything collapse into chaos, in a bizarre man-made mass extinction created by our immense stupidity? Or will a more elegant solution rush to fill in its place?
I also question whether clean energy is really the aforementioned elegant solution. I wonder whether everything about clean energy, like manufacturing and installment, can be supported by clean energy (and recycling). Because then it is a closed system. Perhaps it is a step in the right direction. It’s a matter of whether what we do now can be supported by clean energy, which I do not think it can. A clean energy society would have to be more streamlined, more intelligently designed. Which basically means fixing the real problems, which we really should be doing.
Perhaps clean energy will make this more mandatory, because there does not seem to be enough global motivation to get anything done, especially when you consider that all 6.5 billion of our asses are on the line. While I am sure there are efforts, which brings some hope, there is clearly not enough being done. It could be that we need to wait for the old to move out for the new to come in, but time is crucial.
Then there is the even tougher question of what you and I should do. I seem to always feel shallow no matter what I talk about, since despite all the theory I still conduct the same daily routines. This intensely irritates me. I may need to be more patient for my day to come. What should be done now is so greatly confusing that I ignore the problem. If my actions to come could be resolved, I might walk with a greater purpose, but right now I meander aimlessly.
It is clear that in order to get by in the world of the future, there will be much pressure to be innovative and forward-thinking. I hear the people stuck in a rut are the ones who are suffering. From my experience, America’s public education system has failed to raise such a forward generation. They just want to lie around, listen to music, and talk about pop culture (Edit: or something like that. I’m not really sure what normal people do to occupy all their time).
You might also be interested in