Our Veins are full of Oil

The problem with our societies, cultures and economies lies in the fact that we are fueling the present by stealing from the past and the future. I am talking about one of the greatest evils of the 20th Century and prior, Oil.

Our economies are based on Oil, to the extent that our government and it's allies deem it necessary/acceptable to begin warfare and occupation of a foreign state in order to maintain control of their Oil reserves. Whether this was the main reason for occupation, or mearly as "Well we're already here so may as well control the Oil" is debatable, though it is more than likely to be a major factor in the decision to invade. The flow of money, interest rates, the fabric of our economies are strongly linked to Oil, and the results of warfare. Many countries profit from the wars caused, and the amount of Oil that is produced. A fluctuating economy based on Oil and death is not sustainable, it cannot be a part of our vision for the future, or a democratic society.

Oil is death. It is based on death and causes wars. Oil is created by the remains of dead plants and animals that come under pressure to produce oil, a process taking hundreds of thousands of years. Think of how quickly the petrol in your car is used up, and then think of how long it has taken for that Oil to have been formed. And how many people died to get it to your car. We are stealing from animals that died in the past and using the oil that is formed over thousands of years, which is not sustainable as we are using it at a far faster rate than it is being created. We are stealing from the future, because it is inevitable that the Oil reserves will run out, or at least get to a critical point. We are bringing a global crisis closer and closer to us in the present by each passing day. Scientists do not know precisely when the Oil reserves will run out, but then again scientists do not know when our actions will cause Global Warming or Climate Change to reach an irreversible point. Perhaps this is why people do not care. There will come a point where our actions will be irreversible, but at the moment we can continue our actions and that is why people do not care- the majority only care for their lifetime, not those of the future. But it is clear whichever way you look at it, that the Oil industry is insanity.

What are the negatives of Oil? It is not sustainable and takes hundreds of thousands of years to form. It's use and by-products generate dangerous, harmful pollution. It makes economies fluctuate based on the amount of Oil in 'circulation' or production, and also based on who has it at a given time. It leads to recessions and harm to citizens who have to pay more when it is scarcer or when the companies that control it put up the price of a barrel. It causes endless warfare, with thousands if not millions killed over the course of history- it is a resource based on death from the minute it begins being formed under the earth. Countries go to war over it- it is a finite resource which is not equally distributed, leading those who own large Oil reserves to be either in a position of power, or in danger of warfare, occupation, sabotage, bribery, etc etc. It damages the environment and ecosystems (see Ecuador and Chevron/Texaco's actions), it harms people, is toxic... This list goes on and on but what is clear is that Oil causes a lot of damage to the planet, to ecosystems, to people, to countries, to economies, etc.. We cannot and will not continue to harm the planet and the people by such a Fossil Fuel- we need sustainability and a renewable resource which does not cause harm.

The leaders that be, are more than the elected officials of the governing bodies. In a world based on money, it is inevitable that the people in power, the ones with influence, will be the immensely rich and wealthy individuals. The gap between the poorest people on the planet and the richest people is astronomical. People with money always want more money. This is why Oil has not been outlawed, why we do not use alternative, sustainable resources, at least to a satisfactory level. There is too much money in Oil, to just give it up suddenly. Think about it- Profit is based on scarcity. If a sustainable, renewable energy source was used tomorrow, there would not be as much money in it for those concerned with such a thing. If there was only 100 barrels of Oil in the world tomorrow, think how much money those barrels would be worth to the world. Profit is based on scarcity. If it was suddenly discovered that cars could run on air, for example, where would the money be in that? Not saying that air could be used to run the world as an energy source, but then again light can.. Solar power would once have been thought of as insane, but is a real possibility. However it is still not enough, and is still very expensive to place solar panels on your house or car.. But then again this shows where the money and research is being spent, not enough is being done because the leaders of the world still base everything on Oil. Think about it. There is no reason why we cannot ween ourselves of Oil and stop this addiction. The only thing that connects Oil to the world and its economies is money. Oil = Money. But also, Money = Oil. We base our money on Oil, a finite substance that is not even equally distributed, so we can essentially give  our economy to a foreign power if they have all the Oil- imagine if they refused to sell the Oil? Or if they put up the price of a barrel tomorrow? We would either declare war or our economy would suffer..


Enter the Hemp plant. [to be continued]