R2D2
An aluminium vehicle being lighter with the same energy use may travel further faster. A plastic vehicle lighter and stronger than aluminium with an equivalent engine and energy use may travel even further and faster. Macroeconomics with it's focus on the speed of economic growth should consider the weight of vehicles. That it does not says a lot about how wild and off the mark macroeconomics is in a world trying to do things quickly and with less energy.
When Libyan people discovered in 1967 that a 28 percent uplift in the rate of consumption of it's prime grade oil in the late 1960's produced an uplift of 6 percent growth in the European economy, but such off loading would lead to a depletion of it's reserves without giving a future to it's people, alarm bells rang and the oil cartel took shape. The lesson learned was that growth as western economies saw it was not in the interests of the Libyan people.
The European addiction to oil consumption was not stopped by the oil cartel. It continues unabated, but notice that European growth rates slip well below 6 percent real growth and Libya still has some oil reserves, but where these are only BP probably knows!Being hostage to growth based on energy use is bad macroeconomics, yet that is precisely what factorial analyses suggest is the case.
Project energy use and you project real growth. Raise the price/cost of energy use and your real growth slips away!
How then does the world rid itself of the addiction to energy use? The answer has a lot to do with speed, the domain of awareness, and energy use reduction.It has been established that the less you know, the less knowledge you have the faster you can make judgements concerning your future prospects. You have less to think about and consider, so you make decisions faster and they are invariably wrong. Thus, it was with the free markets of the past.
Full of confidence and led by unthinking individuals who valued motion in any money making direction more than motion in the direction that was best for most people, the world grew rapidly without thinking much about consequences and the fact it has to provide a support for the future containing many more billions, perhaps trillions, of people.If you weighed every car, counted the average occupancy and taxed accordingly, you might get closer to the real energy cyst of the vehicles on our roads. Let the energy wasters pay. Notice that I said wasters.
Currently, energy is still relatively inexpensive so the ratios in America are alarmingly higher than they are in Europe. By not opening up to information, the decision makers lead us on carelessly forward into a world of higher and higher risk in which we will probably mess things up for our children. By not entertaining the wider world of knowledge it is possible to make foolish decisions that are disastrous to our climate, our health, and the survival of people in general. What is critical is that our domain of awareness of alternative technologies to those presently in use be expanded continuously. It is like continuous education.
We need to entertain more knowledge and weigh choices with greater awareness of the many types of consequences. Our Karma is upon us! How many cycled today or walked more than two miles? It's not speed that matters, it's our domain of awareness!
My suggestion is that we dump the addiction to macroeconomic growth which is a manifestation of narrow thinking and decision making. Instead, we should give everyone more information and help create the breadth of knowledge that will carry us forward more efficiently. Economists preach about efficiency without taking into account the spread of knowledge and information and inclusiveness in an economy. Our economies have grown exclusively.
We need them to grow inclusively. The world was not generated for a few people, it was generated for everyone.Include people and new ideas rather than exclude!
Broaden your domain of awareness and brighten the lives of those around you! Think lighter vehicle with less unused seats.
Bike! Walk! Hike!
Will ye no think kindly on those who would be your friends! May the sun shine with your thoughts, today, and happiness grow in your heart! May you allow yourself some peace of mind.
