A Thought on Debt and Petroleum

Interestingly enough, from many mainstream sources we are hearing a rallying cry for the US government to cut the deficit.  We are hearing "it's not fair, it is not right, to leave these debts to - to steal from - our grandchildren."  And it makes sense, what does give us the right to rack up these huge public debts and saddle future generations with their burden?   I suppose it arises from a sense of entitlement.  Plus, it's just the way things are done... the way things have always been done. 

Also interestingly, nobody (aside from a Saudi King, whom I believe was being disingenuous and just trying to cover his ass because SA has peaked while painting himself as enlightened and benevolent) is saying stop exploring for oil.  Yes, we are hearing calls to conserve, but we are not hearing calls for a full stop to save some of the precious juice for future generations.

So, most agree that it's not right to leave massive debt for future generations to worry about, yet essentially nobody says it's not right to burn up all the oil we want right this minute.  Why not?

I'm not being flippant here.  I imagine an average Joe reading the above sentence and getting a little bit ticked off at me, due to feelings of  "don't be stupid, it's common sense."  

But here's the rub: money and oil are both resources.  Money is a man-made resource, and oil is a natural resource.  Oil is finite, and money (at least in theory) can be infinite.  Yet here we are, worried about saving some money for future humans, but to hell with oil.  Sense; this makes none. 

Technology!  That is what I am forgetting!  Add some sweet, delicious technology into the above equation and suddenly everything comes up aces, right? 

This mantra of technology as savior has become an ingrained, unquestioned part of our culture.  Common sense says technology is awesome, and does so many great things, and any day now a fantastic breakthrough will occur rendering the need for petroleum moot.  That's why it's silly to save any for the future, they won't need it by then, duhh!

Following that train of thought, a similar thing will happen with our current concept of money.  There will be a technological advancement somewhere along the line rendering money itself, and the debt that it represents obsolete.  We will leave our money in the dust, just as we leave our dependence on oil in the dust.  

Well, if you find the above absurd, it's every bit as absurd to think that technology will find a replacement for oil.   As best as I can tell, technology causes more problems than it solves.  Our monetary system is in the process of laying bare all of its' inherent flaws and getting ready to implode, and our issues with oil have been laid bare in the Gulf of Mexico. 

Heh, I have run out of gas for this thought experiment.  I was just trying to poke some fun, and holes, into the logic behind some unquestioned pillars of our insane culture.  This is why we are doomed, and this is why you must put some effort into preparation.  Our culture is going to get really wacky when it really starts literally running out of gas.  That day is fast approaching.  Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.  Best of luck.