Peak Oil & The Five Senses

Finally I’ve found a piece of literature with the power to spark tons of emotions in me simultaneously. An excerpt from the book “Peak Oil Survival: Preparation for Life After Grid Crash” by Aric McBay caused me to think about climate change and the future of what I call home. According to McBay, peak oil is the limitation in which the oil availability begins to lessen thereafter. Two simple words bring about complicated issues and scenarios for the future: ones in which make me terrified, worried, and anxious all at once. I became terrified with the ideas presented in the text about an economic collapse. McBay explains the fact that our economy is so stable because of investments, and operations like supply and demand. The accessibility of oil directly affects the amount of manufactured goods being produced which will then affect “employment [and lead to] widespread economic collapse” (Peak Oil Survival). McBay claims “If collapse appeared imminent, investors would pull their money out of the stock market, meaning that even the likelihood of impending economic collapse would itself cause economic collapse." Peak oil is an interesting topic being that it can set in motion war, civil humanitarian panic, political confusion, and economic collapse. Reading this excerpt made me terrified that I’ll be living in an era of disaster, worried because no one is trying to remedy the problem, and anxious to see if anyone will try and save the place I call home: Earth.
Similarly, after reading “The Skill of Ecological Perception” by Laura Sewall I became extremely interested in self evaluation. Sewall explains David Abram’s idea of “myopia” as “a form of denial that shields us from fully experiencing the latest reports on ozone depletion, increasing pollution, toxicity, poverty, illness, and the death of species” (The Skill of Ecological Perception). In other words, our “myopia” is actually an issue because it’s what separates us from the Earth making us unaware of the massive damage we’re doing. This made me wonder about the ideas presented by Sewall pertaining to our five senses. While reading this text, I began to ponder whether or not I’m actually using them for the right reasons. The idea that our connection to nature is based on our senses made me want to evaluate the way I view the Earth and appreciate it. I’ve come to the realization that I can be doing a much better job at appreciating and strengthening my connection to nature.

The World Without Us && The Destruction of Whiteness

"I see it as central to the ecological issue that when blacks were forced to work the land, the process of human domination and the exploitation of nature occured at exactly the same time" (The Destruction of Whiteness). Theodore Roszak interviews Carl Anthony in the essay "The Destruction of Whiteness." This quote is the response given by Anthony to explain the relationship between slavery, human superiority and the destruction of nature. This idea is simply that slavery is a landmark of past, present and future separation from nature as well as a basic candle for ideas behind human superiorty. I think this connection is mind bottling because it actually makes sense. The harsh labor performed by slaves instituted this present day ideal that one race is superior to another, and this drastic human caused transformation of nature. The ideas presented by Alan Weisman in the book "The World Without Us" provide the effects of the actions highlighted in the essay "The Destruction of Whiteness." Weisman gives an account of what the world may look like in the future. Basically, Anthony gives us the cause of climate change and Weisman states the effects.

A primary example of Weisman's desriptions of the future is when he mentions the New York city Transit system. He states, "Whenever it rains hard, sewers clog with storm debris-the number of plastic garbage bags adrift in the world's cities may truly exceed calculaton-and the water, needing to go somewhere, plops down the nearest subway stairs" (The World Without Us). This is one of the many instances in this book where Weisman gives a vivid image of our society in years to come. I think if one wanted to link these two texts he or she could simply read "The Destruction of Whiteness" as a cause of climate change, and then read "The World Without Us" as the effects of climate change.