Willy Wonka's response was one that I have carried with me. You must go forward to go back. Profound does not begin to describe that statement. If humankind continues forward on it's current trajectory, it just might find itself vulnerable to the environment in unfathomable ways. Ironically, in regards to the growing environmental crisis, we must now go back if we are to go forward.
Progress is a double-edged sword.
Our never ending quest for convenience requires us to work more than ever to acquire the tools of technology designed to make our lives easier. The automobile and its eternal combustion engine is such a tool. Intended to improve personal mobility, it seems ironic that American culture has been enslaved by the very thing it embraced as liberator. Adding to the tragedy is the reality of slowly driving ourselves to the brink of extinction. This Earth Day season, you will hear a great deal about alternative fuels, renewable energy, mass transit, and sustainable technologies, remedying the precarious position in which we now find ourselves.