Opportunity for whom? Fair question.

The last time we (the consumer) were offered this opportunity was in the early 1970's energy crisis and we let it pass us by. If we buy into the blame game we just buy more time for the giant energy lobby to keep us (probably by design), off balance. So, as absurd as this sounds, it doesn't matter, NOW, how we got here it only matters where we go from here. Remember when Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz came upon the Cheshire Cat at the fork in the road. She asked, "Please help me Mr. Cat, which way do I go? " The cat asked, "Where do you want to get to?" Dorothy said, "I don't know." The Cheshire cat replied, "Then it doesn't matter which way you go!" I have faith that we will choose the right path.

The opportunity that is before us is the awareness that the path that got us here is not sustainable and it is an ever increasing steep grade. Awareness is most useful when it carries with it pain and frequency. We are at the point of being reminded daily of this opportunity. Each time we fill our tank, turn off that light when we leave the room, use our recycling bins or adjust the thermostat to a reasonable level we become more aware.

I stand ready to defend the unpopular position that good can come from these high prices because I have hope for the future. Please let me explain. Anyone who can fog a mirror realizes we are on an unsustainable path of UNNECESSARY consumption. Let me be clear here, I too, love to consume, it is the unnecessary part I hope to take a look at.

Albert Einstein said "We will never solve problems at the same intellectual level that we created them". Coupling that with my belief that beating the dead horse of blame just spatters STUFF all over the place and doesn't add to a positive outcome, I think we have a starting point to solve a very large and indisputable challenge.

Being a Grandpa, I have realized the wisdom of the saying "Don't rob the young of their consequences-their is wisdom to be had in those consequences". Well we are the "young" in the history of this planet and if we choose to learn this lesson now, that wisdom will pay huge benefits for very long periods of time.

Let me wrap up my humble attempt at logic here. As we pay more and more for the basic commodity of energy it will HEIGHTEN OUR AWARENESS of limited natural resources and we will then evolve our thinking to that higher level to meet this challenge.

I am not so niave as to think that Al Gore has all the answers. Likewise, I doubt that we can count on the benevolence of the Board of Directors of the Energy companies or the political will of people who get elected by saying what we want them to say. I am however, naive enough to believe in the people who recognize the awesome abundant potential of this magnificent creation we call Earth and Universe.

I promise that we will look back in ten or twenty years and realize that it wasn't near as hard as it seemed to be way back in 2008.