Why Would Anyone Be Interested in Renewable Energy?
“Why would anyone be interested in that?” some (super-candid) person asked me recently during a conversation about renewable energy and how it costs more than burning coal. I could see what was implied: that our rights and obligations begin and end with making money any legal way, and pursuing happiness and prosperity as vigorously as possible, here and now.
Yet the question was a bit awkward. “Why would anyone be interested in that?” I paused, wishing to avoid a difficult conversation. Either the answer is obvious, or it’s unsatisfactory. Have you ever noticed how seldom you change another’s mind on matters of politics or personal philosophy? I just smiled. “That’s a tough question,” I responded, and moved on to another subject.
Why would anyone be interested in destroying mountains to get at black rocks which, when burned for energy, spew poisons into the atmosphere at great cost to human health and the future of our planet?
Good question. Not that I know if I’ve changed anyone’s mind, either.
I think you handled the question well. I could also envision I might pause and rhetorically ask, “Could you imagine a world comprised of people who would not be interested in that?” while excusing myself from the conversation. The idea would not be to change the person’s mind but to simply offer them an opportunity to examine their own perspective with a similar query. Occasionally, a person will change their mind, if they never really inspected why they hold certain beliefs.