As a society that cannot agree upon a solution
to drug and alcohol addiction, claiming that our nation is addicted to oil is a
cop out and a lazy, inappropriate response to the urgent, life-threatening
problem of our rapidly declining environment.
I don't know about other
recovered drug and alcohol addicts, but I have a lot of trouble swallowing the
concept that I'm addicted to oil. After conquering a twenty-plus year addiction
to substances (chronicled in my book, "From Death Do I Part"), I'm well-educated
in what it means to be addicted to a thing. The notion that I am unwilling to
examine and change my behavior as it relates to oil consumption is entirely
false. For me to imagine giving up oil in order to use alternative energy hardly
stirs up feelings of fear comparable to the fears I faced in alcohol
withdrawal--both physical and psychological. There is no dependency as strong as
one that encompasses not only a person's psyche but their body as well.
If I am suddenly required to ride my bike to the store tomorrow or to
carpool with strangers to work at an earlier hour than I prefer, I might moan
for a minute, but I know overall it's a good idea and I'll soon adjust. I know
the difficult work required in making drastic lifestyle changes, but because I
understand the value of switching to alternative energy sources, I'm willing to
make necessary changes, in spite of any slight feelings of resistance. I know if
I can live through the agony of giving up substances, I can most certainly live
through and adjust to whatever lifestyle changes using alternative energy will
require.
On the other hand, it's ordinary for people to resist change.
We are creatures of comfort, not discomfort, and the idea of giving up what we
know to be comfortable for the unknown is understandably nerve-racking. But that
does not mean we are incapable or unwilling to change if it means helping and
healing each other and our planet. Ordinary, lazy, slightly fear-laden
resistance to change is not the total resistance that defines an addict. Most
American's do not wish to torture dolphins by choking them to death with oil
"spills." Most American's do not desire to fill the Pacific Ocean with a gyre of
floating plastic trash the size of Texas. Most all of us are willing to do the
right thing--especially when offered reasonable alternatives.
However, there is an addiction in the air, and it does involve the executives of the oil companies and the government leaders and others beholden to them. But it is not oil these people are addicted to--it is greed. As an alcoholic clings to their bottle for stability, people addicted to greed cling to excessive wealth for their sense of well-being. And in addition to the unbelievable damage they are doing to the planet and to us, these people are also hurting themselves. This is because the human worth and well-being they so desperately seek through fulfillment of their greedy desires does not come in the form of money, so as long as they continue to act out greedily in their self-made cocoon of delusion, they will continue to suffer, as will we all.
Oil addiction is not the problem; therefore, admitting to it is not the solution. Greed is the problem, but admitting to that is also not the solution. Confronting it is. As long as those in power retain their addiction to greed, they will continue to spread their destructive addictive behaviors, and soon we will see those behaviors impacting and destroying the operations of solar power and all other healthy energy sources.
When we talk about our society being
addicted to oil, we are failing to address the true addiction that is
responsible for the irreversible damage we see occurring to all of life. This is
why it is a cop out to explain our failure to move to alternative energy sources
as a result of an addiction to oil. Until we acknowledge that greed is the core
issue, and until those cultivating its existence either overcome their addiction
or are no longer in power, life will continue to suffer.
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