The End of the World - Part 2

Last night I went to see ‘A Crude Awakening – The Oil Crash’. I’d seen a review of it on television and they said it was the most important film you could see this year, and it was life changing. Now, I wouldn’t go that far. It was far less affecting to me than ‘An Inconvenient Truth’. In fact, I’ve hardly thought about it since watching it. But then, I live with an eager prophet of the Apocalypse (see previous post) so I suppose it would take a lot to disturb my equilibrium.

Anyway, the Man and I were probably the only people in the audience who were actually pleased by the message. We can’t wait for oil supplies to dwindle! It will be nice to be able to breathe again on Oxford Street and in Arthur’s Pizza in Bondi Junction (if you don’t know what I mean, try eating pasta there after work while that white van is being reloaded). I think a lot of people in China will be pleased to get their oxygen back, too. And just think of the reduction of cheap plastic shit in the world! I’m sad when I think of how I’ll be priced out of air travel, but I’m already trying to reduce my journeys, for reasons of cost and environmental factors. Travel will become more difficult, but it will once again be exclusive and romantic and there won’t be those annoying backpackers all over the place any more. Finally, perhaps we in the West can stop following George Bush into wars all the time. Now, wouldn’t THAT be nice. It would probably drastically reduce the amount of Islamic terrorism in the world, or at least they wouldn’t be able to afford to come to my city to do it.

Let’s have – GASP – a shrinking economy instead of a growing one. Currently, a politician can justify anything by saying the economy needs it because it’s growing, like that’s a good thing. Low wages? It’s for the good of the economy. Longer working hours? The economy’s growing. High university fees? The good of the economy. I wonder how, if it means we work harder, longer hours, for less money, with fewer public benefits such as healthcare, greatly increased pollution…how anyone could possibly think that a growing economy is a good thing. (I read recently that the economy in Japan was slowing down, and that Japanese people might actually benefit from this.) Maybe someone could explain to me why economic growth such a holy grail, so important that I should be pleased to sacrifice my quality of life for it? I’m just asking. I’m not economist.

Everything I’ve heard about a growing economy is bad, so until I’m convinced otherwise, I suggest we refuse sabotage our leaders’ demands. Work shorter hours, spend less. Re-use. Save. Conserve. Refuse to reproduce. Demand better working conditions. And await the oil crash with eager anticipation! Maybe the world will become a nicer place. It couldn’t get much worse…or could it?