Coal and cars and cows

1805: 

Think of all the advances humans have made over the centuries; everything we’ve so far achieved has grown out of ‘ideas’. Great ideas, exploding into the imagination and being implemented. Some work and benefit us. But sometimes, ideas work only for a certain time and then end up doing more harm than good. Like cars and cows and coal.

By the time an idea has been perfected, and is habituated, it’s then hard to shift. Some of us amongst consumers might see that its time has come, but those people whose livelihoods depend on it have built walls of protection around it. They virtually control what consumers do in terms of giving support. And ‘we’, the vast majority of people, can’t free ourselves from them.

Take coal, for example, it was the wonder energy producer, revolutionising the industrial production of goods, fuelling transport and keeping homes warm in winter. But now it is the great polluter, becoming a major contributor to climate change. But now that we've invested so much in it, we can’t drop it. Without coal, the production of electricity would be badly affected, not to mention the money made from mining and exporting it. We’ve become totally dependent on it. Coal is a good idea gone sour. Similarly with the internal combustion engine. It was such an asset at first but, a century down the track, billions of cars are contributing to the death of our planet. You might agree about the amount of damage cars cause but you’re not going to give up your car, are you? It’s the same with meat and animal protein, which is causing so much ill health.

A combination of these ‘out-of-control’ problems makes the future look grim. The belief that ‘things will never change’ makes us all afraid and pessimistic. More so because we know that each of us is still cranking up the machine, too obstinate or too impotent to stop our own consumerism, let alone inspire change in others. I might be willing to make some personal sacrifice but I’m reluctant to take the lead, because it will only be an act of pointless self-sacrifice if I do.  Will I sell the car, give up meat? That would be very brave and very noble, but will it catch on, and if it doesn't, will my stand eventually make me feel resentful?

         

What runs through my head when I’m thinking about this idea of giving up things on principle?  I don’t want to make my living conditions any more uncomfortable than they already are.  And whilst I know this is selfish, I’d rather wait for you to change first. If you change, then I have every intention of following you.

Most people follow fashions, they don’t lead them, and in a world where people are so easily manipulated, the lack of principled rebellion against convention has become a dangerous habit in itself.