Since the time of the ancient Greeks, the desire for conquest and the accumulation of wealth into the covetous hands of the ruling class has dominated Western culture. Unfortunately, in spite of the last three thousand years of social, economic, and political evolution, America, herself a product of the all-consuming desire for conquest, is embroiled in a not-so-subtle war of colonization in Iraq. There are those of us who protest the war, who scream, “No blood for oil!”, and decry the heartless corporations and government leaders who profit from the misery of others. We consider ourselves liberal Americans, open-minded and with a keen desire for human rights, for social and economic equality for all the people across the globe; however, we are all to blame for America’s capitalistic need for conquest. Putting the current situation in the simplest of terms, a nation of consumers, who devour far more resources than they produce, cannot sustain itself without pilfering the wealth of lesser nations.
Energy consumption in America has risen like the phoenix and hangs above our heads, threatening to devour us in the flames of deprivation and war as we thoughtlessly consume more and more of the world’s resources. Americans become fatter and more comfortable while the third world starves, as sweatshop workers in Asia sew our clothing, and as slaves in Africa farm the cocoa beans for our chocolate bars. There is a cost, however, to our national avarice, and the price shall one day be paid. As with the great Roman Empire, will America too be wrenched from her lofty perch by her own greed and debauchery, and will she bring the rest of the world down with her into the murky depths of ruin?
The war in Iraq is, perhaps, the beginning of America‘s decline, as she lashes out at the rest of the world, desperate to maintain her position as the most powerful nation on Earth. The decline of our society may not be inevitable, although bringing about reform would most definitely be an uphill struggle, entailing hard work and numerous sacrifices of comfort and affluence.
The first, and most important, sacrifice may be the most difficult. Automobiles do not run on anti-war bumper stickers, regardless of how many are plastered on our cars and trucks. A true protest of the war in Iraq, one that would cripple the voracious greed of the oil tycoons who run the Bush administration, would be for the peace-loving, anti-war citizens of America to impose their own sanctions upon the oil industry. You read this correctly: to stop the bloodshed overseas, to stop pollution, and, hell, perhaps even to stop terrorism, we must boycott gasoline, which accounts for nearly two-thirds of oil consumption in America. If Rosa Parks and the poor, oppressed black citizens of Montgomery, Alabama could walk to work everyday during the 1955 Bus Boycott, then so can we. For, if we allow this downward spiral into ruin to continue, then there may be no America for our children to inherit, and there will be no one to blame but ourselves.
Energy consumption in America has risen like the phoenix and hangs above our heads, threatening to devour us in the flames of deprivation and war as we thoughtlessly consume more and more of the world’s resources. Americans become fatter and more comfortable while the third world starves, as sweatshop workers in Asia sew our clothing, and as slaves in Africa farm the cocoa beans for our chocolate bars. There is a cost, however, to our national avarice, and the price shall one day be paid. As with the great Roman Empire, will America too be wrenched from her lofty perch by her own greed and debauchery, and will she bring the rest of the world down with her into the murky depths of ruin?
The war in Iraq is, perhaps, the beginning of America‘s decline, as she lashes out at the rest of the world, desperate to maintain her position as the most powerful nation on Earth. The decline of our society may not be inevitable, although bringing about reform would most definitely be an uphill struggle, entailing hard work and numerous sacrifices of comfort and affluence.
The first, and most important, sacrifice may be the most difficult. Automobiles do not run on anti-war bumper stickers, regardless of how many are plastered on our cars and trucks. A true protest of the war in Iraq, one that would cripple the voracious greed of the oil tycoons who run the Bush administration, would be for the peace-loving, anti-war citizens of America to impose their own sanctions upon the oil industry. You read this correctly: to stop the bloodshed overseas, to stop pollution, and, hell, perhaps even to stop terrorism, we must boycott gasoline, which accounts for nearly two-thirds of oil consumption in America. If Rosa Parks and the poor, oppressed black citizens of Montgomery, Alabama could walk to work everyday during the 1955 Bus Boycott, then so can we. For, if we allow this downward spiral into ruin to continue, then there may be no America for our children to inherit, and there will be no one to blame but ourselves.
