Random thought on energy & "awakening"

[southerncrone]

Since the current catastrophe in Japan, I have been thinking a lot about our energy sources. Our reliance on nuclear power :nuke:, IMHO, has been a form of insanity from the start. :wtf:

I grew up in the shadow of the Sequoya Nuclear Plant in Chattanooga. TVA jumped on the nuclear bandwagon w/a vengance in the late '60's & '70's, building numerous plants in the TN Valley area. Not only did they instill fear in the people near there :scared:, they were an eyesore in one of the most beautiful areas of our nation. Then there is the huge problem of "disposing" of the waste........

Conservation has always been the answer. (One of the problems I have w/the term Conservative substituting for Republican, is the fact that they are exactly the opposite of conservative when it comes to consuming the resources of the planet.) When I see images of Las Vegas, New York City & other examples of wasteful energy consumption, it makes me sick :puke:. The flashy lights are simply a waste of precious energy. Although lights don't consume as much energy as other devices, they still consume some. It would be interesting to know just how much these unnecessary lights actually do consume. I recently read an article (not sure it was on DU or elsewhere) about the way we charge for energy--applying a volume DISCOUNT is wrong when dealing w/energy consumption....we should be doing the opposite....the more you use the higher the rate you should pay. This would by nature encourage conservation, even in the corporate arena. I say good idea. :thumbsup:

I feel this energy crisis will be the catalyst propelling us into the new society. Why must we keep our society "running" 24/7? There are numerous studies being done that prove we are not getting enough sleep :boring: . Stress is the norm in most lives. What is possibly the main reason for all this stress? 24/7 world. Obviously, our old "friend", the corporation, is the driver of this ideology. As many have lost their livelihood at the hands of these profit-only-driven monsters, perhaps it will cause a lot of people to question their wisdom & power. (Thank you, Pluto in Capricorn.)

I'm hoping we will become more attuned to the cycles of our planet by living by our natural light----THE SUN B-). Some may be forced to do so for economic reasons, others may voluntarily do so for more ecological reasons. If there are no places to GO at night, then we will consume less oil, as well. For many this would seem like a regressive move BACK to the 1800's, but it may save our species & the planet if we do this :web:. Not that the transition wouldn't be difficult, but it may prove to move us to a more spiritual place w/less stress & more reflection. This will not solve all our energy woes, other changes will be required, too, but I believe this would be a good start.

Just some of my mind-wanderings.....thanks for listening. :hi:

(Having a fun-with-smilies kinda day :smoke:)

[teenagebambam]

1. I will gladly take the more sleep

Hopefully I can still have a TV and old movies on DVD!

[OneGrassRoot]

2. I'm with you. It's about balance....

Evolution, to me, is about achieving more balance. Working with Mother Earth rather than fighting her, tuning more into ourselves rather than all the distractions which allow us to tune out.

I would really, really appreciate keeping indoor plumbing and hot showers...within reason (I long for a solar water heater)...and I would really, really appreciate keeping this Internet thingie, 'cause the connections it can provide are incomparable, at least to me.

Otherwise, I'm all for living more in balance, cyclical as you say, and with much, more integrity. I think we would be so much healthier on all levels.

Absolutely. :)

:thumbsup:

:hi:

:hug:

[southerncrone]

3. OGR, I'm not against hot water or the Internet; plumbing takes no energy.

I think we should live simply by the suggestions of our planet. Sleep when it's dark, active when it is light.

It's not something we could do immediately; it would take some adjustment....perhaps turning off lights & retiring 15 minutes earlier every week. I do believe it could be accomplished within a year.

I'm going to try it since I'll be retiring from my job soon. Obviously not everyone could participate because of being tied to the corporate model, but I would love to see this be a goal in the long run.....if we have the luxury of a the long run.
:hug: