Some Shortages Would Make Us Creative

A recent newspaper article, about demand for energy in a post-Japan-tsunami world that might be reluctant to develop nuclear power, prompted this letter to the editor:

What is the reason to satisfy the world's insatiable need for affordable and plentiful energy? And is there a need really? Yes, there's a huge appetite, true, but need...?

Our Western civilization reminds me of compulsive shopaholics, who often perceive as needs what really are their own addictions. If tomorrow we will find a new cheap source of energy, we'll just use it up to build bigger houses and cars and TVs, and making our existence messier and more complicated.

Don't get me wrong, I'm guilty myself and could agree that indulging in exuberant excess could sometimes be gratifying. But let's not forget that a plentiful society lacks motivation and breeds laziness, while real challenges, like energy shortages when and if we face them, would awaken our creativity.

Overcoming challenges—unless they are too extreme, of course—makes people happier then plentiful life. It looks like we really don't need plentiful energy; we just need to learn how to use wisely what we've got. So far our civilization used up precious natural resources and enormous amount of energy to build mountains of waste. Plentiful energy would continue us on the same path. Some shortages would make us creative, and perhaps even turn our lives into simpler and less cluttered ones.

I have to say the writer speaks my mind.