Oil: A National Security Issue

So to start off things with one of my missions since last summer: reducing our addiction to oil. It's been disappointing to see gas prices rising so consistently, but not just because it's that much less we can spend on cooler things. Really, high gas prices hurt our economy and make us more dependent on foreign energy sources, not to mention the environmental effects and the spiritual degradation that comes from being indoors in air conditioned luxury all day, even on quarter-mile rides to the grocery store. Oil is a moral, environmental, economic, and national security issue.

Politicians have been doing what politicians do best: talking; making vague, long-term promises; and offering small treats, like suspending environmental standards, to appease consumers. One big piece is missing. OPEC, Exxon, and hurricanes are not solely responsible for our oil woes. Consumers, that is, demand, is equally relevant. And our demand is extreme. Where are the politicians calling forcefully for citizens to do their part in conservation?

I envision an opportunity like we embraced during World War II, when ordinary people planted victory gardens in their own back yards to aid our economy, in this case, by increasing supply. In those days, our nation rallied around a common good, and citizens could see their small efforts as part of a concerted effort. The fighters overseas were not the only ones to sacrifice; those at home served their country, too. This is not nostalgia for the olden days; those times when our country embraced a genuine common good are few, but to hold up those moments as an inspiration today can help us to understand our identity and become heroes.

Where are our victory gardens? Today, we can walk or bike to work, or carpool. Sure this is a sacrifice. But surely a nation that is often patriotic to a fault ought to find courage and filial piety enough to fast, in union with the sacrifices our friends and family are making overseas. It's time to replace jingoism with authentic patriotism--to become the poeple we aspire to be.

I've been walking (or biking, back when I lived 10 miles away across the city) to work since September. Not only has it saved a bunch of money and reduced oil demand by a few gallons a week, but I have enjoyed time outside, which gives me an opportunity to transcend the sterile, synthetic environments modern man has chosen for himself. Nature helps me to find a sense of peace and admiration for creation, as I watched ducks and herons wading or swimming in the river, or chronicled in my memory the patient unfolding of leaves this spring. This, too, gives me a sense of freedom from the overwhelming demands of the modern world, so I can more faithfully accomplish my work without being enslaved to it.

All this is to say, you should walk to work, or the gorcery store, or anywhere you can. Try it for a week, and see what you think. Its communal and spiritual benefits are worth a shot. Also, you should write your senators, congressman, and president to encourage them to advocate conservation (I wrote Senator Frist last week--I'll let you know when he gets back to me). If we can capture America's imagination and rediscover a common good, our generation might yet rise to the civic heroism of our ancestors.