Are Hummers Evil?

Well, contrary to what some committed environmentalists would say, my answer is no. I do not believe that it is possible for inanimate objects to be evil. So, this begs the question…are the people who create them (the company) and/or the people who create the market for Hummers (drivers) evil?

Although evil does exist in the world, I do believe in the inherent good of the vast majority of the earth’s people. So, it is decidedly unfair and unloving to arbitrarily classify a group of people to be evil or even lesser based on their choice of transportation. And, if we classified Hummer drivers to be evil, logic would require us to classify other low-mileage and unnecessary vehicles to be evil. There are a lot of people I truly love, respect and enjoy who drive low mileage luxury vehicles. I do not have the stomach for this type of classification and those living in glass houses should not throw stones (I am far from perfect in the manner in which I use energy and other resources).

So the question introspective people might ask themselves is not whether driving these types of vehicles is good or evil, but is it fair? Is it fair to earth’s current inhabitants? Is it fair to unborn generations?

Regardless of your position on global warming or other environmental issues, oil and consumption/allocation of natural resources is a national security issue. It is a global security issue. Maybe you don’t believe Al Gore and his “Inconvenient Truth,” there are certainly compelling arguments both for and against his positions and facts. However, America is currently and for millennia mankind has warred over access to and control of natural resources. Our current battle of choice is oil; very soon it will be water.

So, the question is…even though my neighbor is a really great guy, does he have the right to contribute to prolonged warfare and battling over the globe’s limited resources? Do I have the right to do the same to my neighbor?

Even though I drive a high-mileage vehicle, does my neighbor have the right to be disappointed in the fact that I forget to turn off extra lights or make other decisions that do not make great use of our shared resources? I contend that he does have a right to be upset by this. And, he does have a right to say something to me. He certainly has the right to participate in movements that have the purpose of pressuring me to do the right thing (peer pressure can be a positive thing).

Our decisions as individuals combine to form national decisions. What we think and how we behave as individuals combines and will determine the world we hand to our children.

At some point, could fashion, status and caring for each other and future generations combine? Could it be one and the same? I have enough faith in the inherent goodness of humanity that some day, yes, I believe it could be.

A Grand Question: Fate -vs- Free Will

I have always believed (with various levels of ability to articulate this belief) that our lives are shaped by a combination of fate (some call this god's will and many other terms) and free will.

I do not believe that we are puppets solely acting out a play while God pulls all of the strings.
However, there is no question in my mind that God sometimes has her own plan that does not always seem convenient or desirable to us.

I believe that God is accessible to all of us, but is not a micro-manger either. God let's us mess up (in my case a lot) and I do believe that God has "bigger fish to fry" than helping me to find my car keys in the morning.

I recently read a wonderful description of fate/God's influence in our lives versus our free will in an outstanding book by Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love.

"We gallop though our lives like circus performers balancing on two speeding side-by-side horses-one foot is on the horse called "fate," the other on the horse called "free will." And the question you have to ask every day is-which horse is which? Which horse do I need to stop worrying about because it is not under my control, and which do I need to steer with concentrated effort?"--Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love