Glenn Stewart Coles, 9251 Yonge Street, Suite 8-924, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, L4C 9T3
Text Box: Humanity is consuming the resources of this planet at an alarming rate. While oil is the prime resource, there are many others that are being depleted. Fresh water is a luxury only available in some countries, and the list of water-stressed nations is growing. Forests are shrinking as we harvest the trees. Seafood is diminishing, both from harvesting and environmental change. Our food animals suffer from diseases and are pumped with medications. Even the minerals in the soil are depleting, and farming becomes more difficult. Meanwhile, the population keeps growing. Oil has become critical to our civilization, and we often acquire it at all costs. Over the next forty years we could experience increasing battles over the remaining resources, while dealing with shortages in all aspects of our life. The current path of our species entails war, violence, scarcity and fear. Unless humanity shifts from oil-based civilization, the survival of our species is threatened. The world’s problems are dominated by the desire for oil, and the economy and politics of the world already reflect fear. Currently, forty percent of the world energy demand is provided by oil. The nations that use the most oil are not the nations who have the most oil. The Middle East, probably the most hotly contested area on this planet, is also the area richest in oil with two-thirds of the known supply. Is it a coincidence that the American occupation of Iraq also solidifies the best position to protect the Saudi peninsula from land assault? One potential future of humanity follows the path of fear. As population grows and shortages become apparent, those with strength attempt to accumulate more. As a result, many others go without. The use of force becomes an acceptable practice, and both police and military are required to subdue civil unrest. Around the world the masses are deprived, and the only thing that keeps nations together is the need to unite in war with other nations. It is important to realize that what I have described above is only one potential path. There is a different path that we can follow. The path involves both choice and change. It also involves change in how we live, what we expect, and how we contribute. It involves the spiritual growth of every person on the planet. As each person learns to respect and love all other living souls, we come to a realization that we can build a better future together. In the future that we can achieve, growth as an individual occurs in unison with growth of the group. We can build a future in which there is no war, a future in which there are no shortages. What do we need to survive as a species? We require utilization of power sources that do not involve burning. We require an efficient method of desalinating seawater. We require means of providing nutritious food to everyone on the planet. And ultimately, we require the evolution of our species into one of peace, love and spiritual awareness. In any case, life as we know it will be only a blip on the map of human civilization. Where we go from here is up to us. © Copyright Glenn Stewart Coles, 2006 First Published April 16, 2006

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Different Paths

The world’s problems are dominated by the desire for oil, and the economy and politics of the world already reflect fear.