Lethal Trajectories - Michael Conley [193]
Her growing sense of hope was bolstered by the changes that had taken place in Mankato since the crisis. To be sure, unemployment was still at a staggering 24 percent, and many of the businesses that had gone under would never again recover. Still, the people were different. Their values seemed to be more grounded in reality. They had all come through the crisis together, and the knowledge that everyone was vulnerable had been a great equalizer and unifier. The sense of community had never been stronger, and she fervently hoped and prayed this spirit would prevail when economic times improved.
The Life Challenges Co-op had been a godsend for hundreds of people in Mankato, and Veronica knew it was literally that: a gift from God working through people to help other people. The last few Life Challenges meetings had been, in fact, devoted more to praising God for deliverance, and for that Veronica was profoundly grateful.
Veronica had developed a sharp eye for potential trouble spots during the crisis, and she now became equally adept at identifying positive signs. She noticed on her ride to church that construction was beginning on a new housing development off Oak Street. It was the first new construction she could recall seeing since long before the embargo. She also noticed the price of gas had dropped to less than eight bucks a gallon, although gasoline rationing had remained the same.
She smiled as she pulled her car into the Gas-Go station, where she was greeted by her favorite proprietor, Clarence.
“Hi, Clarence,” she said with honest cheer, “How’re you doing today?”
“Hi, Pastor Veronica,” Clarence replied warmly, “nice to see you! I’m doing just fine. Now that the gas situation has improved slightly, folks are all in a better mood, and for the first time in years I’m actually starting to feel more optimistic.”
“Clarence, you’ve made my day. I used to worry about you when the gas lines were long and people would chew you out for the high prices you had nothing to do with. It must have been discouraging.”
“It was, Veronica, but then there were always a few nice people like you who made me feel things would get better, and you know what, Veronica? They have.”
“They have indeed, my friend. Have a great day.”
Afterthoughts
Global events confirm the approach of a perfect storm. The threats are ominous and the trajectory lines lethal. Consider, for example, just one of these threats: our addiction to oil. Our addictive behavior subjects America—and other nations—to the whims of foreign cartels; drains consumer pocketbooks and the national treasury; necessitates military actions to protect fragile oil supplies; and deprives future generations of the physical and economic security once enjoyed by the majority of Americans.
How could this happen?
It is difficult to break old habits, particularly bad ones. The seductive qualities of oil—its power punch, utility, portability, and multiple uses—make it a fuel that is hard not to like. While providing the energy that runs over 95 percent of our transportation system, it also opened horizons never before imagined.
For well over a century, in fact, the American Dream was fueled by cheap energy and abundant resources. It enabled Americans to own homes in the suburbs, far from their workplaces; it allowed for the prodigious production of agricultural and manufactured goods through energy-intensive automation; it made life easier and provided mobility and freedom unknown to any previous generation. It inspired an expectation of unlimited growth and a belief that every generation ought to live better than the previous one.
Indeed, the American Dream has been exported to other nations. The people of China and India, for example, are now experiencing rapid growth and upward