"We must make certain this will never happen again."  I would attribute the quote, but I have heard it from so many officials after the Gulf oil spill I can not give just one name.  To drill or not to drill?  What constitutes a mature energy posture?  Oil, coal, nuclear, renewable, a combination of the above? I recently heard the term 'petro-tyrants' referring to countries run by tyrants who have great oil reserves and to whom we will increase in dependence in the coming years.  As well, Kazakhstan and Angola are becoming oil powers whose offshore environmental regulations do not exist; Nigeria is said to leak about an Exxon Valdez worth of oil each year. Has anyone ever created anything free from accidents? 

 This is not the issue for anyone wishing simple answers. Even if we threw all our energies into renewables today, the curve of oil consumption would be minimally affected in the near future. Yet I do think there is one factor I have heard the least about in all these equations.  It is our own lifestyles personally and communally.  I am not foolish enough to think this will solve the energy issue in our lifetime; and how much pain are we willing to feel?

"Do you want to be made well?" It seems an odd question of Jesus to the man who can not walk.  It cuts to the chase.  Do we want to be made well?  Is he willing to take responsibility for his healing or simply wait on others to provide it?

I don't have a quick answer to energy questions.  I do know that as long as we expect others, BP, other nations, the 'other (fill in the blank for yourself) political party', to do something, there will be more spills and more persons saying, "We must make certain this will never happen again."

Pondering the relationship of Easter and energy,

Todd Donatelli