Energy as an Addiction
In the US and other major countries worldwide, Energy has become somewhat of a druga drug with extremely addictive qualities and devastating long term effects. You might disagree seeing as energy is not something you inject, smoke, or swallow like the common ‘drug’. However, energy is something you consume, and it is something you consume in massive amounts every minute of every day. The energy being referred to is not the literal capacity for human activity; rather it is the use of fossil fuels and other resources used to power everyday utilities such as electricity, air conditioning, automobiles, and other modern day technologies.If you take a moment to analyze the twodrugs and energythe resemblances are scarily striking. Let’s define ‘drugs’ as mind altering substances that affect your daily life. Hardcore (and illegal) drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, heroine, and crystal meth are the most dangerous because they are extremely addicting and destroy user’s ability to function without them. Now, let’s talk about energy. Though not a mind altering substance, energy certainly affects your daily life. It is present in your life 24/7. When you have to go a day without itsay the power is lost due to a storm, or your car broke downyou suffer from what can only be termed ‘withdrawals’. Quite simply, energy makes life easier and most American’s can’t stand to function without it.Another scary point for comparisonthe long term effects of drugs and energy. Drugs ruin the chemistry in the brain and leave a person to be half of what they were before. Energy usage is depleting the earth of its resources and polluting the environment at an unprecedented rate.Though this comparison may be extreme and unconventional, the main point is that the world is in need of an intervention. People need to realize that the massive amounts of energy they use have detrimental effects on the environment. Until we can find a clean abundant source of renewable energy, the use of fossil fuels and other non-renewable resources can be decreased by simply turning off the lights and carpooling to work in the morning.