What would you give up to live without oil?

[Encephalon]

If we weren't still hooked on meat and the thrill of personal automobility, we could probably create a fairly healthy alternative. What oil-dependent product or service would you be willing to forego in order to live in a world without oil-driven strife?

[gendao]

The biggest oil-baed product that the FRB is trying to keep afloat by maintaining a global dependence on oil is their USD fiat currency. Which replaced metals-backed US currency long ago and is now "only" coercively (via OPEC, the Iraq war, sanctions against Iran, etc.) backed by oil now.

 

If the price of oil were to plummet due to replacement technologies, so will their USD...

 

This is one reason why ALL our Presidents since at least Nixon have given lip service to promoting alternative energy...but in reality fiercely obstruct it behind closed doors.

Edited July 22, 2010 by vortex

[Brian]

..

[Taomeow]

There was a world without oil in existence once. In fact, all we ever knew till a little over a hundred years ago was a world without oil. What a happy place it must have been. E.g., in the 19th century, we had coal. An average miner worked a 14-hour day, seven days a week, but they also employed women and children for narrow places where a grown man couldn't squeeze in, and the latter worked 18-hour shifts, seven days a week, since their productivity was lower. The average age of a child hired for the job was 6. The average life span, 8.

 

When will the public stop obliging the overlords?.. When it refuses to play the game of "the latest and the greatest scapegoat." I can name a couple hundred targets the public was led to attack in the past 15,000 years, decoys all of them, right off the top of my head. We've been running around chasing those ghosts quite diligently so far. I guess we're just this kind of species... blessed with tunnel vision, unable to see anything the overlords aren't pointing at. And they never, ever, ever point at themselves.

[mYTHmAKER]

There was a world without oil in existence once. In fact, all we ever knew till a little over a hundred years ago was a world without oil. What a happy place it must have been. E.g., in the 19th century, we had coal. An average miner worked a 14-hour day, seven days a week, but they also employed women and children for narrow places where a grown man couldn't squeeze in, and the latter worked 18-hour shifts, seven days a week, since their productivity was lower. The average age of a child hired for the job was 6. The average life span, 8.

 

When will the public stop obliging the overlords?.. When it refuses to play the game of "the latest and the greatest scapegoat." I can name a couple hundred targets the public was led to attack in the past 15,000 years, decoys all of them, right off the top of my head. We've been running around chasing those ghosts quite diligently so far. I guess we're just this kind of species... blessed with tunnel vision, unable to see anything the overlords aren't pointing at. And they never, ever, ever point at themselves.

 

I think you might enjoy Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth by Buckminster Fuller

[Taomeow]

I think you might enjoy Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth by Buckminster Fuller

 

Thanks. I went to quotes and found two that are noteworthy:

 

"Great nations are simply the operating fronts of behind-the-scenes, vastly ambitious individuals who had become so effectively powerful because of their ability to remain invisible while operating behind the national scenery."

 

and

 

"Those who play with the devil's toys will be brought by degrees to wield his sword."

[Brian]

..

[Guest paul walter]

If we weren't still hooked on meat and the thrill of personal automobility, we could probably create a fairly healthy alternative. What oil-dependent product or service would you be willing to forego in order to live in a world without oil-driven strife?

 

 

 

Most-already have for the best part. But Taomeow's right, it's best to give up the addiction to fear of death-sucking power first or it will all just start again with the next replacement "solution". I can already hear the disgruntled minorities complaining about wind turbines and certain dams.

Edited July 22, 2010 by paul walter

[de_paradise]

Dont abstract what is concrete. Oil use is a big thing.

 

Oil use can be minimized, it makes cities a whole lot cleaner in many ways. Of course there will be more things to improve after that, but getting over oil is huge. Either you are for this cause or your mind is churning out noise and clutter, the likes of which I see in this thread. So either you as an individual take the steps to get off your zoom zoom or you are part of the disease.

 

Im not anti-oil. I see it as THAT valuable so that we dont waste it, that future generations can use it more efficiently.

Edited July 22, 2010 by de_paradise

[Vajrahridaya]

I like bikes and skateboards, but without my computer!? Uh oh! Of course we can run cars on electricity empowered by wind sources and thus computers too... sooo... why do we need so much oil?

Edited July 22, 2010 by Vajrahridaya

[Birch]

"When it refuses to play the game"

 

- THIS

 

 

And this means all of the subgames too. But I suspect many would be unwilling to do so.

 

Neat posts.

[Brian]

..

[Brian]

..

[Enishi]

I'm willing to give up just about everything except for internet and toilet paper.

 

AC would be hard to let go of as well on extremely hot and humid days, lol.

Edited July 22, 2010 by Enishi

[DarthBane]

How about you deal with me becoming world ruler?

Vote for David Gog Bane.

Price of the voting ticket is $1, which comes in the form of a voucher swearing allegiance to the anarchic taoist state of magog.

You get a pope card stating you are a designated priest of the nation of magog.

 

I will abolish all standing religion, business and political systems and part of the money of theses systems will go into creating a unified "direct" religion with repositories of all faiths similar to bahai, but in practice cutting out needless fluff of many religions. Why damaging or elaborate processes? There will be no priesthood. Grounds are maintained by maintenece workers. Copys will be made of all works important/arcane. Originals kept at a secure location. Times will be given to gather and commune with nature regularly.

 

o Advancement of water electrochemical engines.

o Return to natural food production, dependancies on fruit and ancient types of grains. Camellia Sinensis promotion and production. Radix Notoginseng promotion and production.

o Destruction of genetic engineered sources such as corn which has been over-hybridized.

o Salt/Ash seeding in atmophere to drive atmospheric temperature temperatures down along with cultured tundric bacteria that breaks down hydrocarbons, toxins, PCB(s).

o Going to be unpopular ***Call for a voluntary suicide, anyone who can consider that their life purpose is over to consider suicide may help society to come***

o Any advancements recognition will go directly to the people who accomplished these advancements. No more government or business breakthroughs at the cost of humanity's toil.

o Gossip, antisocial tendancies will be unaccepted social behaviour and will lead to being studied by psychologists.

o Gold, Gems, Precious metals will no longer hold a value.

o Back to a system of bartering.

o Tree planting will be promoted at payment in raw bcc amino acids. Tree varieties must be many different varieties. Stipulations to be announced.

o Trees must not be cut down. Fines imposed unless tree is diseased.

o Removal of most elm trees, except for a select few at some locations to eradicate pests.

 

Pink Light

[Tao99]

.

Edited August 6, 2010 by Tao99

[DarthBane]

Laughs

[Brian]

..

[DarthBane]

What no takers aw you guys just are not very adventurous. Ha ha ha.

 

Did you read my post? 99% of the population would be gone if we did that

Edited July 22, 2010 by Guest

[mYTHmAKER]

Thanks. I went to quotes and found two that are noteworthy:

 

"Great nations are simply the operating fronts of behind-the-scenes, vastly ambitious individuals who had become so effectively powerful because of their ability to remain invisible while operating behind the national scenery."

 

and

 

"Those who play with the devil's toys will be brought by degrees to wield his sword."

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_Manual_for_Spaceship_Earth

[Brian]

..

[DarthBane]

D00d! You crack me up! (In a good way, mind you...)

 

I do have a question, though -- when you are not cutting down any trees, are you cutting down only elms? What about other non-tree species? Personally, I'm not too fond of kudzu. If you add a kudzu-reduction program (and appoint me as "Grand Vizar of Ethical Kudzu Development"), perhaps I'll sign on.

 

Will you be serving doughnuts???

 

I hear kudzu is food. How about kudzu doughnuts from kudzu flour?

[mYTHmAKER]

Edited July 22, 2010 by mYTHmAKER

[Brian]

..

[Guest paul walter]

 

If there are no laws or enforcement, what is to stop the many criminals from doing what they do best? Nothing. Thus for sure rampant violence, misery, deprivation and slavery.

 

 

I take it you're referring to the blue collar ones you fear who haven't realised their full potential yet because of constrictive laws/enforcement and such? Unlike the white collars...