For
as long as humankind can remember, earthquakes have come as sudden,
unexpected horrors. The incredible amounts of energy they release rip
our homes, business and lives into pathetic doll rags. Now, juxtapose
that thought with the fact that humankind has studied Nature’s other
energy engines and found ways to use that knowl-edge for its own benefit.
For example, we drill for oil and geothermal energy; we dig for coal;
we use the ancient technology of sails to capture wind; we use the motion
of the ocean tides to power great generators. So what is pre-venting
us from making similar use of the basic energy machines that power the
phenomenon we know and fear as Earthquakes? Our own lack of imagination
and those who enforce our slavish dependence upon non-renewable energy
sources combine to blind us from seeing these opportunities. It does
not have to be this way.
For
as long as humankind can remember, earthquakes have come as sudden,
unexpected horrors. The incredible amounts of energy they release rip
our homes, business and lives into pathetic doll rags. Now, juxtapose
that thought with the fact that humankind has studied Nature’s other
energy engines and found ways to use that knowl-edge for its own benefit.
For example, we drill for oil and geothermal energy; we dig for coal;
we use the ancient technology of sails to capture wind; we use the motion
of the ocean tides to power great generators. So what is pre-venting
us from making similar use of the basic energy machines that power the
phenomenon we know and fear as Earthquakes? Our own lack of imagination
and those who enforce our slavish dependence upon non-renewable energy
sources combine to blind us from seeing these opportunities. It does
not have to be this way.