Finalist
PENN STATE ESSAY CONTEST
Theodore Waddelow
For many years, the attitude of America has been one of carefree enjoyment and
consumerism. Belief in the idea of Manifest Destiny, belief in the idea of the American Dream,
seeing America as one of the two world superpowers in the Cold War – those have all led to a
sense of American pride in not only the power of the nation, but in the ability of Americans to do
as they please, and worry later. As the twenty-first century has begun, and new challenges face
both the United States and the world, this attitude must give way to an understanding of the
issues, and a desire to leave the world in a better state for the future.
It is clear that while the world is not facing a crisis at this moment, the smallest events
bear the potential to severely harm our way of life. Our entire economy is essentially dependent
upon our supply of oil. It is needed not only for the basic production of energy, but also for
every means of transportation, the backbone to the interconnected capitalistic world. In the wake
of Hurricane Katrina, which laid waste to the city of New Orleans, and much of the coast of
Mississippi, many Americans were alarmed at skyrocketing gasoline prices across America.
Though the direct damage of the hurricane was a local, it demonstrated the far-reaching effects
of such an event, effects facilitated by America’s dependence on oil.
The problem with being so dependent upon oil is that it is by its very nature, a
nonrenewable resource. There is a certain amount in the ground, and once it is all used, there
will be no more. Yet, essentially the entire world is increasing exponentially, with the world
population only continuing to increase. One day, there will be no more oil to pump out of the
ground, and if the world is not ready to transition to a new source of energy by then, society as
we know it could crumble. With this prospect in sight, whether it will occur next year, or in fifty
years, is it not the responsibility of this generation to ensure the well being of the earth into the
future?
There are numerous steps that must be taken to remove America and the world from oil
dependency, but perhaps the most crucial is to change the attitude that pervades the world. No
longer can the measure of success in a country be economic growth, no longer can capitalism
and greed alone be the driving motivations behind human action. Will it matter that there was
economic growth in the year 2005 if in 100 years there is chaos for a world? People must realize
that nearly every action in the modern world requires the use of energy, and the source of energy
won’t be there forever. This can only occur through education, and once people understand the
unsustainable lifestyle they are forcing upon the world’s resources, they can have a proper
knowledge of why there must be change. Happiness at the expense of the world can no longer
be seen as a suitable basis for life.
As regular people must learn about their effect on the environment, governments and the
private sector must play a role. If the government was willing to subsidize research and
development of nuclear, wind, tide, and solar power resources, and encourage the purchase of
hybrid automobiles through the use of tax deductions and credits, it would be a huge step in the
correct direction. One of the largest hurdles blocking the widespread use of hybrids and
alternative energy sources is the productive cost. The American public, however, saw what
could happen to gasoline prices following such an event as Hurricane Katrina, and if the
automobile industry could affordably mass-produce hybrids, they would be purchased. There are
a multitude of technological innovations that are on the cusp of revolutionizing energy use
around the world. If governments would take the risk and cost, they could make the mass use of
such technologies as solar cells, passive solar energy systems, and superior forms of insulation
viable realities in the near future. The use of those products would not change American
lifestyles, nor would they entirely solve the problem. However, any small step toward reaching
freedom from oil dependency is a step in the right direction.
While governments and private industries surely must play a role, it is the activities of the
every day human that ultimately will determine what becomes of any vision for the future.
Petitioning the government for the change, electing environmentally friendly official-those are a
start. But such simple decisions as to not go for a car ride, not turn the air conditioning another
degree colder, not leave a light on-those are what can change the world. As government derives
its authority from the people, so must mass change derive from power. And the way to show
people the issues, show them the minor step that must be taken, is education. Math and reading
in America are currently the curriculum subjects that are seen as most crucial to the continued
well-being of our world. Change the system that teaches Americans the priorities of life, and
those people will have the impetus to make change in their own lives, and change in the
government.
My own community has not begun to prepare for the change that must come. That
highlights the very problem. If people are not willing to change matters on a small, community
scale, how is the world to transform? Education and community environmental values are the
building blocks for an attitude towards such issues as oil dependency, and if change can be
effected on that scale, change can be brought to the world.
The situation as it has been for generations cannot continue. For current events, we see
the precarious position that our dependence on oil has placed us in. How long the world’s oil
supplies will last is irrelevant at this point in time, as it is the collective responsibility of this
generation to not leave such a problem to our progeny. Though governments may be a solution,
it is the action of the common people across the world that will transform our world. We cannot
look to the future for answers, but must take action today, to create a hope and vision for
tomorrow.