Reply To: would nuclear energy really be accessible to all?

[Rezwan]

Indeed.

Now… to restate the point I hope a video will convey, it’s about the upside of uncertainty. Wordy copy (help!):

The BP catastrophe reminds us that we live in an uncertain world.
Our economy is dependent on energy.
Our current sources of energy are a dangerous business wrapped up in uncertainties.
The fuel we love the most is dangerous if mishandled.
In many parts of the world, it is a major cause of strife and political turmoil.

But we need energy. We are driven to extract it –
and to spend as little as we can in extracting it.
So we try to cut corners, and it blows up in our face. (yes, “WE”. Like you want to spend more money at the pump)

The folks at BP were hoping to get lucky, to get by without incident. They saved money on prevention, and now face the far more expensive cleanup, restoration, reparations and incalculable losses from this catastrophe.

The problem with the oil game is that it is rigged (cue picture of oil rig) for failure. It’s a dead end. It’s downwind of uncertainty.

The best that could happen is you keep extracting oil without too many mishaps or too many more casualties as supplies keep dwindling. The worst is catastrophe, rolling catastrophe.

But is there some sort of uncertainty we can flirt with that doesn’t threaten catastrophe? Isn’t there uncertainty with a strong upside?

Why are we so comfortable wasting our time with uncertainties that are negative, or -at best – business as usual? Why not attack, with gusto, the uncertainties that will open up the future? Like aneutronic fusion research [And here we have to link to more info with a line like “have you heard of aneutronic fusion? Here’s a starting point]. Unleash the energy of the stars.

The worst that could happen is we spend money and don’t get quick results. The best that could happen is we figure out how to harness fusion for the greater good of mankind and the whole planet – and move on to a pan galactic future.

What’s the opposite of catastrophe? And why aren’t we courting it?

[courting astral forces, rather than courting disaster. You know the root of disaster comes from dis-(expressing negation) and astro – star. Ill-starred event. So…harnessing the energy of the stars would be the opposite of disastrous. Just a thought.]