I don't know about you, but I find that when I make some harsh judgment about another person, I find it useful to remind myself that my judgment usually has more to say about me than about its recipient. If I look at my friend, for example, and judge him to be self-important, uncaring, unfocused... I have much to gain by looking into the mirror and asking myself to what extent I'm being offered the opportunity to learn an uncomfortable truth about myself. This is perhaps an overly simplistic way to understand what is referred to by psychologists as "projection," but it works for me.
In this light, I found myself watching yesterday's public roasting of BP and its CEO, Tony Hayward ("the most hated man in America," the media keep insisting!) by the congressional subcommittee with a certain skepticism. There were hot, indignant accusations of negligence, of dereliction, of deliberate carelessness, of putting corporate profits and cost-cutting ahead of the well-being of those to whom the company owes responsibility. Now I have little sympathy for BP and am as determined as the next person to hold it accountable for its actions, but listening to these irate congressional representatives, I could not but see BP's CEO as a lightning rod for their own projections. Who, I wanted to ask, has been negligent in their responsibilities; who has been ranting about cutting costs at the expense of those they serve; who has allowed the concern for corporate profits to dominate decisions that affect the lives of people?
By extension, are we not now, as a nation, dangerously projecting all our anger and frustration on the current president and his administration? As Jon Stewart inconveniently reminded us in an excellent piece on last night's episode of The Daily Show, "Day 59 -- Judgment Day," no fewer than eight presidents over the past forty years, including Obama, have held forth to the nation on the need for energy independence -- and the need to protect the environment -- and we have to this late date permitted our leaders and representatives to do virtually nothing. Who, we must look in the mirror and ask ourselves, has been furiously penny-pinching at every opportunity? Who has been putting their own interests ahead of those of the country as a whole? Who has been refusing adamantly to change their profligate ways?
Projection is a wonderfully convenient way to sidestep my own responsibility, whether in the small scale of my personal life or the global scale of the welfare of humanity. We like to say: It's them! It's those incompetent and unconscionable rascals we mistakenly elected to solve our problems for us. They're the ones who are greedy, lazy, incapable of action, self-interested, and mired in partisanship. No, friends. Sorry. It's not them. Let's use that mirror to find the real culprits. It's us.
See: Life Threatening Danger at http://www.aesopinstitute.org updated today.
Also, What to Do! on the same website.
Chris Landau, a geologist, believes the solution may be to drill 8 or more new, vertical wells, in a circle around the gusher, on the assumption that far more oil will be produced than can otherwise be controlled.
He states the oil might continue to be produced in huge quantities.
He believes several new wells can allow recovery of the oil, which may need to continue for a very, very, long time.
You may want to also read Moving Beyond Oil and Running on Water on that Aesop site.
With adequate support, a 24/7 development program could move breakthrough technologies into production.
We can supersede oil faster than might be imagined.
This may prove to be an emergency equivalent to all out war!
These new technologies are much less complicated than weapons systems.
The science is hard to believe, as it disagrees with conventional wisdom. But, independent and National laboratories are increasingly involved. Once prototypes for schools are in production, it will become obvious that gasoline, oil, coal, natural gas and nuclear power will face low cost competition that can leave all of them behind.
Recognize this emergency! We have a difficult, but possible, job to do! So, let's begin to really do it!
Then, btw, politicians tend to hold others accountable, not themselves. And by saying "everybody's responsible" I'm afraid will lead to "nobody's responsible then".
"Who's 'we' , kemo sabe?"
"WE" the people since 1976 (with NO BIG HELP OR PUSH FROM 'GOV' OR 'BUSINESS' I might add) have turned recycling into a normal routine/moms combine 'trips' to conserve, SCHOOLS are the top recyclers in our area....
No ~ THIS time the REAL culprits in this monetary/political dance are out there for all to see, poke, ponder and wonder and the incompetence at such a high level at such a deep price to civilization.
Nope. "We" have met the enemy ~ recognize the situation ~ point them out ~ and let it loose at will.
It's called a free speech based democracy where every one of these pompous asses are recognized to put their pants on one leg at a time like everyone else.
"Political Correctness" = the bane of civilization.