Just a thought

I often look at the news stories about the people who are protesting this aspect or that aspect of the current world economy and wonder if these people really think about what they are protesting.

I mean do they really understand how slender a thread modern civilization depends upon and how easy it would be to condemn millions, if not billions, of humans to death, quite rapidly unfortunately, were their aspirations to be realized.

It often amazes me how much we take for granted, especially those of us in developed countries such as the United States and Canada.  We just take for granted that grocery stores will have ample food; electricity, natural gas and water will be there on demand, dependably and without question; that gasoline, tires and even computers linked to the entire world will just be there. Do we ever really stop to think how marvelous these things are? Do we ever stop to think what would happen if just one of the things that prop up the whole interconnected system were to suddenly disappear?

What would happen if, tomorrow, there were no more fossil fuels to burn? How many people would die? Who would decide which people were to die? What gives those people the right to decide if they live or die?

If there were no petroleum products, then there would be huge shortages of food in all populations centers, world wide. There would be no fuel, tires, lubricants to keep the trucks, trains, ships and planes moving all those needed food stuffs to the cities and even small towns. Unless you had your own stockpile of food, and enough land and animals to grow your own to keep you supplied all year, you soon would starve.

If it wasn’t for oil, coal and natural gas (or, hades, nuclear power), few people would have electricity (that runs just about everything), because there would be no way to build or maintain solar cells, wind turbines or water turbines without those things; nor would most of the clothes that we have (made of synthetic fabrics) be there.

Jobs would be gone, because the raw materials to make things would not be able to get to the factories … or the service jobs would dry up because either no one could afford the services or there would be no need for them, because the things they provide no longer would be possible.

There would be no need for colleges, besides no equipment for them, or even secondary schools.

I just wonder what people would do, other than die and kill each other over what little resources that would remain.

Just a thought.