Analogies: Too much of a good thing

For supporters of the oil companies, there is no middle ground, just more and more oil no matter what the cost to others. The position of timism is not that oil is bad per se, but too much of any good thing is bad.

A number of analogies come to mind in looking at how our energy use has become self-destructive.

• For a starving man, a sugar I.V. can save his life while the obese should limit sugar intake.
• For a diabetic, insulin is a good thing up to the point at which insulin comatoses the diabetic with insulin shock.
• Alcohol is a good thing up to the point, e.g., a little each day reduces cardiac risks. When the alcohol uses the user that then that is too much of a good thing.
• Drugs start out being used a little to deal with little problems. Too much of a good thing can be bad, e.g., aspirin reduces the risk of stroke but one can self-poison with too much aspirin.

All of these analogies share one thing in common which has to do with the creation of time up to a point from which the time creation dwindles. This is the case with oil.

Beware of your prayers: The belief that a cheap energy source that would allow a car's tankload of fuel to outlast the cars useful life will turn every car into a weapon that would not destroy buildings in Oklahoma City or New York City but the cities themselves.

Also see timistic karma .