I'd like to register agreement with Simon's position and then take
it a couple of steps further.
Simon said:
| People change slowly. Helping people change means finding ways to
| make them _want_ to change. Telling stories, showing them what's
| possible, and generally inviting them in are ways to encourage
| change.
Which leads to the following chain of reasoning:
a. People aren't going to be hectored or shamed into change. At
best, we can (if we're very clever about marketing) move them
slowly to change, and since major powers (energy companies,
national oil companies, politicians, automobile manufacturers,
advertising agencies, etc.) have excellent reasons to strongly
resist any meaningful change, this is going to be an uphill
battle.
b. It follows that people will be slow to change, at least in any
useful direction. (They may be very quick to start
scapegoating. For example, it's clear that the politicians are
gearing up to make people who oppose ANWAR exploitation the
targets of blame for current gas prices.) They will continue
to be strung along by fantasy solutions like hydrogen fuel that
play on their desire to maintain an unsustainable lifestyle.
c. It is therefore highly probable that meaningful change will
come too slowly to avoid overshoot, in terms of both energy and
food.
d. So some of us had better start devoting our efforts to figuring
out how to adapt to that reality.
Jon
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