Only when oil goes for $ 500 a barrel will we get serious about giving it up . Yes?

[krsna]

 

And look for greener alternatives :

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3695820.stm

[krsna]

Unlimited New Energy from Sun and Water

 

.

 

A revolutionary new way of harnessing the power of the sun to extract almost unlimited energy from water will be a reality within seven years.

 

 

 

“It would be the cheapest, cleanest and most abundant energy source ever developed,” say scientists from Australia’s University of New South Wales. “The main by-products would be oxygen and water.”

 

 

 

Special titanium oxide ceramics will harvest sunlight and split water to produce hydrogen fuel. The researchers say it will then be a simple engineering exercise to make a device with no moving parts to harvest the energy; and it will give off no greenhouse gases or pollutants.

 

“This is potentially huge, with a market the size of all the existing markets for coal, oil and gas combined,” says Professor Janusz Nowotny who, with Professor Chris Sorrell, is leading a solar hydrogen research project at the University’s Centre for Materials and Energy Conversion. The team is thought to be the most advanced in developing the cheap, light-sensitive materials that will be the basis of the new technology.

 

Chris Sorrell says Australia is ideally placed to take advantage of the enormous potential of this new technology: “We’ve abundant sunlight, huge re-serves of titanium. But this technology could be used anywhere in the world. It’s been the dream of many people for a long time to develop it and it’s exciting to know that it is now within such close reach.”

 

Although existing hydrogen fuel cell technology is more efficient than the internal combustion engine and dramatically cuts down vehicle emissions, currently hydrogen is produced from fossil fuel, so that it still gives off greenhouse gases. This new process would cut out these emissions.

 

In Britain, a team of scientists at Leeds University have developed an-other process that enables hydrogen to be produced from vegetable oils, so cars could in future have a tank of sun-flower oil that would be converted into hydrogen to power the fuel cell motor.

 

Meanwhile, in Scotland, the world’s first commercial-scale floating Wave Energy Converter, The Pelamis, has successfully generated its first electricity for the UK grid.

 

In the US over 350 bankers and investors met to explore the state of financing for renewable energy in America. The American Council on Renewable Energy and Euromoney was completely overd. “It’s great to see renewable energy entering the mainstream,” said the organizers.

 

 

[Tarun]

Both devotee & nondevotee r already running their diesel cars with various vegetable oil.

Everytime u c a gasoline station (R THERE STILL ANY AROUND?), know 4 sure u r looking at a DINOSAUR (as in extinct species).

[gHari]

 

Watch out for the vegetable rights groups. The jivas have nonetheless left the dinosaur bodies.

 

It's just all that whiz whiz whizzing about on the freeways here there everywhere nowhere constantly that is the problem. Like chill, world. We can be as happy here as we can be there.

 

[krsna]

Scientists Develop System to Convert Diesel Fuel to Hydrogen

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/science/AP-Clean-Diesel.html

 

IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO, USA, November 1, 2004: (

remarkable scientific advancement.)

 

Scientists at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental

Laboratory say they have developed the first system to convert dirty

diesel fuel into a quiet, self-contained and efficient energy source.

The system is the product of six years of research and a $25 million

joint effort between the Office of Naval Research and fuel-cell company

SOFCo-EFS. In the future, the Navy's destroyers could run quieter,

require half the fuel, pollute less and have a smaller heat signature

for enemies to detect. The system converts diesel fuel into a 30

percent hydrogen mixture. By using the diesel to run a fuel cell

instead of burning it, the system produces twice the energy output,

without sulfur or nitrous oxide pollution. About two weeks ago, the

experimental system started running a 5-kilowatt fuel cell. "We see

this as the start of a new technology that will greatly improve on

where we are today," said Rodger McKain, president of SOFCo-EFS, a

fuel-cell company that split the project's cost with the U.S. Navy.

 

Although the process of getting hydrogen from diesel is not new, it has

never been done before on such a large scale. It is also the only

system specifically designed to run on high-sulfur content diesel,

which the Navy can buy around the world.

 

Click http://www.inel.gov/featurestories/2004-03-hydrogen.shtml for the

Lab's web site and detailed PDF report on this system.

 

The technology could be installed anywhere people want to have quiet,

self-contained energy systems instead of diesel generators. Dennis

Witmer, a technology specialist at the University of Alaska in

Fairbanks, wanted to see if the system could be used in remote Arctic

villages that aren't connected to a power grid. As with any new

technology, the main obstacle is the cost. The 5-kilowatt experimental

fuel cell that is running at the INEEL costs $200,000, and that doesn't

include the cost of a system to isolate hydrogen from diesel. Studies

have shown that if the cost of the system came down to about $3,500,

and could provide 5 kilowatts of electricity, plus heat, there would be

a huge market among homeowners, Witmer said.

[krsna]

http://positivenews.org.uk/cgi/zyview.pl/D=articles/V=story/R=1325

[krsna]

 

 

 

 

DETROIT -- The future of the global automotive industry will be driven by hydrogen, not gasoline -- at least as senior management at General Motors sees it. While hybrids, which combine gasoline engines with electric motors, were the buzz last year at the North American International Auto Show, it's hydrogen that will be the fuel of the future, GM powertrain group vice-president Tom Stephens said yesterday as the 17th edition of the Detroit show geared up with the first of three days of media previews.

 

The show opens to the public Saturday and continues till Jan. 23.

 

As further evidence the industry is moving toward environmentally friendlier power systems, Ford's new Escape Hybrid was named 2005 North American Truck of the Year here yesterday.

 

The Chrysler 300C, with its multiple displacement system that reduces fuel consumption by shutting down cylinders when power demands permit, was named North American Car of the Year.

 

"Hybrids are the bridge to our long-term goal of hydrogen cell systems," Stephens said as he unveiled the latest step in the company's fuel-cell program -- the Sequel.

 

GM launched its hydrogen-powered program in 2002 with the Autonomy, a skateboard-like chassis powered by fuel cells that could accept a range of body styles. That was followed by the HyWire, a drivable concept that took the technology into the real world.

 

The Sequel is the next step -- another skateboard chassis that can be the platform for a range of models, but which also now delivers the functionality the motoring public demands.

 

With an SUV body mounted, Stephens said the Sequel promises a 500-kilometre range and acceleration to 100 km/h in about nine seconds -- certainly functional numbers in today's world.

 

To demonstrate its plans to make the transition from fossil-fuelled vehicles to pure hydrogen, GM also took the wraps off a couple of hybrid products -- vehicles it says are mid-term strategies en route to its goal of having a high-volume, hydrogen-powered product on the market by 2010.

 

Its first new hybrid is a sporty compact coupe, the Opel Astra concept. At the other end of the domestic vehicle scale is the new GMC Graphyte, a full-size, four-wheel-drive SUV that was designed by GM engineers in Coventry, England.

 

Stephens said these vehicles demonstrate the versatility of his company's new two-mode hybrid system, which has also been applied in a public transit bus.

 

While GM was talking about what will be, Lexus vice-president Denny Clement was telling the media about the hybrid product his company has ready for sale now.

 

A year ago, Lexus unveiled its RX400H, an SUV with hybrid gasoline/electric power. It's based on the brand's sales leader, the RX330 luxury SUV, and Clement said it will be in showrooms in a few months. More than 11,000 consumers have already placed orders for the vehicle.

 

And there's more coming from Lexus, whose parent company, Toyota, has already sold more than 300,000 hybrid vehicles world wide -- more than all other automakers combined. Lexus is now planning to introduce a hot, sporty model with hybrid power -- the Lexus GS 450H -- at the New York auto show in March.

 

 

 

[krsna]

 

 

Korean car giants Hyundai and Kia will begin testing zero-emissions fuel-cell vehicles this autumn.

 

A fleet of 32 Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage 4x4s will be handed over to the University of California and the US Army to be put through hot- and cold-weather testing in California and Michigan.

 

Fuel-cell vehicles are claimed to be the cars for a greener world because water vapour is their only emission, although Hyundai and Kia believe their widespread availability is likely to be at least 20 years away.

 

They are fuelled by hydrogen, which is used to create electricity to power a motor. Kia claims the fuel-cell Sportage can achieve fuel economy equivalent to around 67mpg with a petrol car.

 

The Koreans claim to have solved many of the problems associated with fuel-cell cars, such as poor cold-weather starting, short cell life and unreliability.

 

Kia is convinced it will be in a position to sell 10,000 fuel-cell Sportages a year by 2010, though it admits the buyers are likely to be organisations with their own hydrogen supply until refuelling points become commonplace.

[Kulapavana]

and where do you think hydrogen comes from? coconuts?

 

hydrogen must be produced in an industrial process, with great expenditure of energy, which REQUIRES EMISSIONS. you are simply moving emissions from the tail pipe of your car to the smokestack of the powerplant. even solar cells must be produced in an industrial process generating emissions.

 

as to using vegetable oils as a source of energy: you would need more land than is currently available on earth to replace the 80 million barrels of crude oil used every day.

[krsna]

Jee wizz, I'm just a dunce with a big dunce hat. I thought hydogen was simply H20 !

[Kulapavana]

to get hydrogen from water you must first split the hydrogen-oxygen bond: that requires energy - about 1.5 times the amount of energy you get from re-combining the hydrogen with oxygen in your "zero emission" car. so you end up with less energy than you started with...

 

so... where do you get that initial energy? the only clean options available today are solar, wind and hydroelectric. alltogether these sources provide less than 1% of all energy used by humans today. to replace all oil used by us today we would have to dam all the rivers, install millions of acres of solar panels and build wind turbines everywhere...

 

is it doable? in theory only...

 

 

[theist]

I sure don't understand the intricacies of energy production. But I do figure that as a society gears up towards one kind of production the costs of producing it will decline as the demand increases and methods become more efficent. So the cost today will not be the cost once it is in full swing.

 

Here in Berkeley I have noticed new garbage trucks have a sign on them that they run entirely from reclaim vegetable oil. This stuff used to be thrown away after frying french fries etc.

 

I think we need every form of clean(er) alternative energy we can get from multiple sources. But also we must do something about the demand side. The absurdity of mass producing something like an electric toothbrush just floors me. People have become too damn lazy to move their hand up and down while they clean their teeth.

 

Also cars. I have never like those things. Personal vehicles should be limited to golf cart type machines and for mass long distance travel TRAINS. But no they have created a motor car society where you can't walk mo0re than one block without risking your life intersecting with 2,000 pound speeding chunks of metal. Any wonder why this world has gone mad and getting madder?

[Kulapavana]

why are cars so heavy and therefore use proportionately more fuel? because people DEMAND that they be "safe". if current safety standards were removed it would allow most cars to have at least 2x better fuel efficiency.

 

the current energy problem is very much the result of excessive demands by people in the mode of passion and ignorance.

[Guest guest]

 

Can you just see some a' these CEO's going to work.

 

[Guest guest]

I liked Constantines comment "Krsna doesn't Work"

Forget horsepower

 

This is Divine Civilization.

[theist]

That China picture, Oh My Gawd!!! lolol

[krsna]

 

 

Martin Oliver

 

An Australian inventor, Michael Perry, has built a device that generates substantial amounts of energy from underwater river and ocean currents. His Aquanator possesses rows of sail-like 'aquafoils', which turn silently powering an on-shore alternator.

 

 

 

Located some distance below the surface, the Aquanator avoids the risk of being a hazard for marine craft. As only one anchor point is required, environmental impact is minimised. A current of as little as 1.5 knots can generate usable power, and energy yield rises exponentially with increasing flow speed. While 2.5 knots produces around seven kilowatt hours (kWh), five knots creates an impressive sixty kWh.

 

 

 

The Aquanator has been developed in Maclean, a small town located on the banks of the wide Clarence River on Australia's east coast. Following the testing and improvement of prototypes, the device is on the verge of commercialisation. A pilot unit is to be installed in the Clarence late this year, and the regional power utility has signed up to buy its output. This will be sold under the company's Green Power renewable energy option.

 

 

 

Michael Perry sees river and ocean currents as the world's largest untapped sources of renewable energy, and also the most economically viable. They are ideal for remote island locations that presently rely on expensive and polluting diesel generators. For many of the world's cities, harnessing power from slow currents may also be an ideal solution. He would like to see submerged Aquanators being installed around the Australian coast. The Aquanator follows on the heels of Perry's earlier groundbreaking invention known as Permo-Drive. This unit, which is also being commercialised, captures the braking energy of heavy vehicles, resulting in up to 37% lower fuel consumption.

 

 

[krsna]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/05/16/bush.ap/

[krsna]

By Robert Plummer

BBC News

 

 

As oil prices continue to hover above the $50-a-barrel mark, amid fears that the world may soon run out of fossil fuels, carmakers and politicians alike are desperate to come up with alternative ways to power the world's motor vehicles.

 

 

Sao Paulo's traffic congestion is notorious in Brazil

 

Even a man as closely linked with the oil industry as President George W Bush is now spreading the message that one day we may be growing our fuel instead of digging it out of the ground.

 

"An interesting opportunity, not only for here but for the rest of the world, is biodiesel, a fuel developed from soybeans," he said on Tuesday night at his joint news conference with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

 

For the owners of today's polluting gas-guzzlers, it is easy to see this as something for the far-distant future, an irrelevance that will not affect their lives for many years to come.

 

But in Brazil, it is happening as we speak.

 

Plant-powered cars

 

In the mid-1980s - before any other country even thought of the idea - Brazil succeeded in mass-producing biofuel for motor vehicles: alcohol, derived from its plentiful supplies of sugar-cane.

 

Differently-powered cars were actually in the majority on Brazil's roads at the time, marking a major technological feat.

 

But the programme that had put the country so far ahead was very nearly consigned to history when oil prices slid back from high levels seen in the 1970s.

 

Alcohol-powered cars fell out of favour and languished in obscurity until last year, when production picked up again in a big way.

 

Now Brazilians can buy cars that give them the chance to mix and match alcohol with regular fuel - and conventional motor vehicles that run purely on petrol are looking old-fashioned once again.

 

Military-inspired

 

Brazil's state-run alcohol fuel programme was set up for patriotic, not financial or environmental reasons.

 

The military government that ran the country from 1964 to 1985 wanted to reduce its dependence on Middle Eastern petroleum during the 1970s oil crisis.

 

The technology was far from new, having been around since the 1920s, but no country had employed it on such a scale.

 

 

Under the Pro-Alcohol programme, farmers were paid generous subsidies to grow sugar-cane, from which ethanol was produced.

 

The price at the pump was also subsidised to make the new fuel cheaper than petrol, while the motor industry turned out increasing numbers of vehicles adapted to burn pure ethanol.

 

As a result, in 1985 and 1986, more than 75% of all motor vehicles produced in Brazil - and more than 90% of cars - were designed for alcohol consumption.

 

But then it all went wrong.

 

Backlash hits

 

A combination of factors turned the tide against ethanol:

 

 

Under newly-restored civilian rule, governments were less concerned about promoting the fuel for national security reasons

 

Sugar prices rose, making the ethanol subsidy too costly for the state

 

Oil prices had fallen from their 1970s highs

 

State oil company Petrobras had discovered new offshore oilfields, making Brazil more self-sufficient in oil.

There remained the environmental argument in favour of ethanol: unlike petrol, it is free of pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, while the carbon dioxide emissions it produces can be cancelled out by growing another sugar-cane plant.

 

And in one lasting benefit, ethanol had already replaced lead in conventional Brazilian petrol, putting paid to the worst kind of airborne pollution.

 

But despite ethanol's green credentials, Brazilian enthusiasm for the fuel reached its lowest ebb in 1997, just as the world was marking five years since Rio de Janeiro hosted the United Nations Earth Summit.

 

That year, just 1,075 motor vehicles built to run on alcohol rolled off the country's production lines - a mere 0.06% of the total output.

 

Competition

 

It was at that very point that the US started to show interest in biofuels, as the authorities in California and other states passed laws forcing car manufacturers to reduce pollution levels.

 

 

Cane and grain are equally good for producing ethanol

 

The US now produces nearly as much ethanol as the Brazilians do, although the raw material it uses is maize - or President Bush's soybeans - rather than sugar-cane.

 

But Brazilian producers maintain theirs is still cheaper to produce - and their market has now received fresh impetus from a combination of tax breaks and technological advancement.

 

Global awareness

 

A new generation of alcohol-powered cars entered production in Brazil in 2003, after the government decided that cars capable of burning ethanol should be taxed at 14%, instead of 16% for their exclusively petrol-powered counterparts.

 

Unlike earlier models, these are "flex-fuel" cars - equally happy with pure alcohol, pure petrol, or any blend of the two.

 

When the fuel tank is filled, a special computer chip analyses the mixture and adjusts the motor according to how much ethanol and how much petrol it contains.

 

In 2004, the first full year that "flex-fuel" cars were on sale, they accounted for more than 17% of the Brazilian market, and are on course for an even bigger share this year.

 

But in the wake of the US, other countries are poised to discover the wonders of crop-based motor fuel - and Brazil has a fight on its hands if it wants to remain the world leader in the field.

 

 

[Kulapavana]

the world is using over 80 millions of barrels of oil per DAY. to replace this amount of oil with bio-fuels (such as alcohol or bio-diesel) would require growing NEW crops on the area the size of North America.

[Guest guest]

is water, Dunce!!! H is hydrogen.

what i also do not get, is why everyone is so attached to internal combustiuon as a process to generate energy. it is primitive and outnoded.

Tesla made a car that ran on static electricity, with an electric car with a normal 80 km radius for 800 km. that is the stuff you all want, while the horse eats grass that grows for free and drags a cart for 12 hours, if you let him. Gratis!!!!

electro engines cost emissions to make and maintain. Horse emissions are good fertiliser too.

VdK.

PS Sp said SIMPLE living, otherwise where do you get the time for high thinking, running after your machines?

[krsna]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/4092928.stm

[krsna]

 

 

By James Andrew Cahill

 

 

 

 

The transition promises to be wrenching, but to delay the inevitable is a sure invitation to a global disaster

The greatest challenge our society will face as it moves forward will be to manage energy wisely. The 20th century was powered by oil. It was an era that saw remarkable innovations and the development of new technologies that have greatly improved our quality of life. But we are rushing toward the end of the oil-driven era, and so the challenge before us today is to consolidate the gains achieved with fossil fuels while moving beyond this finite resource.

 

In order to do this, we must act now. But we must also be careful not to weaken our economy or stifle innovation unduly.

 

It is a difficult dilemma. Our current technology relies so heavily on fossil fuels that their use cannot be significantly curtailed without highly detrimental effects to the economy. Furthermore, we can assume with certainty that energy demands will only increase as the U.S. economy grows and people in other countries seek to better their living conditions. But the more oil that we use to meet these rising demands, the sooner we will exhaust this precious resource.

 

GOVERMENT MUST LEAD. Thus, immediate action is essential to develop new energy sources so that technology's advance can continue without impediment. Although action by both the public and private sectors would be more efficient, until there are greater profit potentials, the public sector must take the short-term lead. The government must formulate policies that provide strong incentives for private-sector investments.

 

With a concerted effort from all parties, it should be possible to curtail the growth in oil usage -- and ultimately end it -- by supplying future energy needs with other, more environmentally friendly sources. Developing alternative energy sources with less of an environmental impact than that from fossil fuels would address another long-term problem: global warming. The accumulation of greenhouse gases, if not counteracted, may eventually result in almost catastrophic costs of both an economic and human nature. Our civilization and, indeed, humanity's very well-being depend upon a stable climate.

 

In the current geopolitical situation, many of the leading oil-producing nations are controlled by authoritarian governments. To the extent that the world reduces its need for this commodity, it will weaken the ability of these governments to undermine the advance of democracy and human rights. It is only rational to believe that the people of these nations desire freedom and, if given the opportunity, will move toward representative government and greater self-determination.

 

IN IT TOGETHER. However, it is human nature to fear the unknown -- the end of cheap oil -- and to want to delay its arrival for as long as possible. In this case, though, procastination could be disasterous. The sooner we take intelligent and decisive action, the less traumatic will be the effects of the shift away from oil, and an ecological catastrophe will be that much less likely.

 

Every nation will decide its own particular approach to this historic transition, of course. But no nation can stand alone, aloof from stark reality -- not even the U.S. International cooperation to alleviate both the energy and environment issues will hasten the day when a new world economy emerges, bringing with it unprecedented benefits for all countries and peoples.

 

[krsna]

Material Fanatic

BY: MAYESVARA DASA

 

 

 

Sep 16, USA (SUN) —

 

 

Karma: Action = Reaction

 

 

When I studied Industrial Design at the University of Kansas in 1974, one of the most important things we discussed a lot was the future of gasoline powered vehicles. This was a hot subject because earlier in that year, the people of the United States had experienced a brief, but unforgettably bitter taste of what it might be like if Mother Earth no longer yielded up enough oil to keep fueling our insatiable gasoline demands.

 

 

For about two months that year, car owners had to wait in line for over an hour to purchase gas. All you could do while you waited patiently for your turn to fill up was hope that the tanks supplying the fuel pumps at the station would not run out. Prior to that fuel crisis, petrol cost about 30 cents a gallon. By the time it was all over, the price of gas had increased by a dollar a gallon. (300 %!)

 

 

We are now again experiencing run-away costs for petroleum products. Nobody knows where the cost of a barrel of oil will stop, but the recent disaster in the Gulf has some saying it could shoot up to over $4 per gallon before it levels off. The anxiety this is causing is compelling many people to "re-think" their driving habits, but it is too late for many to change the way they consume gasoline. The real question that should have been asked a long time ago is: "Why are we so obsessed with the need to drag 2000lbs of steel around with us everywhere we go?"

 

 

One of the reasons why we studied the life cycle of a car in my Industrial Design class was to better understand how the principal of "Action equals Reaction" would impact new products that we might be responsible for designing. The automobile offered a very dramatic example of the importance of forward thinking. As engineering wannabe's, it would be our responsibility to attract future consumers to purchase new products. The average shopper might not be fully aware of the inevitable packing, waste, social and environmental impact that comes along as byproducts with every new invention, but as conscientious designers we needed to keep those things in mind as well.

 

 

In retrospect, it’s not likely that Alfred Ford had any idea of how much his horseless carriage would evolve into one of the worst killing machines ever created. Nor did he probably realize that he would be the reason for huge junkyards in every city, mammoth regional oil refineries, and the proliferation of ugly oil wells in some of the world’s most desirable pristine locations.

 

 

To herald the path for the automobile we blanketed the earth with millions of acres of cement. The price we pay for today’s automobile fuel goes way beyond $4 per gallon. To feed our mobility habit we have also seriously jeopardized the air we breathe and the ability of the earth to produce the agriculture we rely on for sustenance. It has also compromised the space we need to grow the trees that give us fruits, nuts, paper, wood, cooling shade, oxygen, and many valuable medical by-products. Now the oil crisis is pushing nations dangerously close to territorial conflicts and some insist the war in Iraq is all about controlling oil supplies.

 

Will Karma Repeat Itself?

 

 

Has our co-dependence on the automobile taught us to rethink the direction we are rushing toward? It doesn’t seem so.

 

 

Now the high tech industry is clamoring to integrate the cell phone, e-mail messaging, I-Pod tunes, a Global Positioning Device, Personal Data Assistant and the Digital camera into one convenient pocket size device, powered by deadly cadmium, beryllium, antimony, lead, zinc, mercury and arsenic components. This becomes particularly disturbing when you consider that a Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition estimated that by 2005, 130 million cell phones will be discarded annually, totaling approximately 65,000 tons of trash over the first three years!

(http://environment.about.com/cs/ewaste/a/ewaste.htm)

 

 

Consumer advocates are also quite concerned about the dangerous impact cell phones may have on our health due to the non-ionizing radiation this device omits when used in such close proximity to the operator’s head! This is a controversial subject because initial research seems to indicate that the radiation is so low it couldn’t possibly hurt anyone. Yet even the researchers who make this argument will admit that nobody really knows just how much radiation the body can absorb safely when exposed over a long period of time! But has this ominous unknown factor enticed anyone into doing a study on the correlation between low-level radiation exposure and the memory crippling Alzheimer’s epidemic? I don’t think so.

 

Replacing the Sacred With a Balance Sheet

 

 

Thousands of years ago recorded in India’s great Mahabharata epic we learn of a conversation between the most honorable sage Yudhisthira and his warrior opponent the heroic Bhishmadeve. The fearless general Bhishmadeva also happened to be Yudhisthira's teacher from childhood. He was shot with hundreds of arrows during the first day of battle and lay waiting until the end of the day to leave his body at will, which was not uncommon for great yogis in those times. In the evening while he waited for the sun to reach the auspicious position in the Northern Hemisphere when sages chose to leave this mortal world, Yudhisthira approached the revered Bhishmadeva to ask about the essential principals of religion. Bhishmadeve answered all his questions at that time. One of the last things he shared with him was a landmark in India’s most sacred hymns: The Vishnu Sahasranama - The 1008 names of Lord Vishnu. Ever since then this highly revered mantra has been chanted by India’s most enlightened souls.

 

 

In today's world, the advice of corporate accountants and attorneys has replaced the wisdom of the exalted Bhishmadeva. Instead of vibrating mantras that glorify the pastimes of the Supreme Lord, which automatically raise the consciousness of all who hear them, these modern day pundits chant "Reduce, Recycle, & Reuse." Their sole motives are focused on improving stock earnings for corporate investors and nothing more. This is a bit better than the disposable marketing mentality that has prevailed in the past because it slows down the process of global entropy. However, it doesn't make us any less "Materially" Fanatical. As long we continue to believe that the purpose of life is to exploit all of the resources of the earth for pleasing our insatiable senses, we are setting ourselves up for slow, painful and inevitable environmental suffocation. The question is, how big and toxic does the junk yard have to get before we realize the prudence in what the great sages understood thousands of years ago?

 

 

"A materialistic person, thinking himself very advanced in intelligence, continually acts for economic development. But again and again, as enunciated in the Vedas, he is frustrated by material activities, either in this life or in the next. Indeed, the results one obtains are inevitably the opposite of those one desires."- Srimad Bhagavat Purana Canto 7"The Science Of God", Chapter 7 "What Pralada Learned In The Womb", Text 4.

 

 

Some people are beginning to question the prudence of gross material indulgence but that hasn’t slowed down the construction of the mega-homes that evolve into large monuments glorifying the vanity of the individuals who live in them. In this way the whole world races recklessly towards endless permutations of material sense gratification. That doesn’t deliver the promises to make us happy, but in many cases, people don’t even know what the long range intangible costs really are for our sensual fantasies in the form of consequences.

 

Race down the Spiral

 

 

Nearly everyone senses that Western society is leading the entire world on a downward spiraling path of excessive pride, misdirected ambitions, inflated expectations, and endless demands for faster, greater variety, more efficient, and less expensive permutations of sense indulgence. Yet despite these ominous intuitions and inauspicious signs, very few people will seriously consider the wisdom of the ancient Vedic Sages, which included the sobering advice not to pursue unwanted and unnecessary things:

 

 

"For this reason the enlightened person should endeavor only for the minimum necessities of life while in the world of names. He should be intelligently fixed and never endeavor for unwanted things, being competent to perceive practically that all such endeavors are merely hard labor for nothing." - Srimad Bhagavata Purana Canto 2"The Cosmic Manifestation", Chapter2 "The Lord in the Heart", Text 3.

 

 

Acknowledging the indentured relationship we have with our senses is what separates real transcendental knowledge from the recklessly indulgent effects so called "enlightened" teachers preach to naive followers. Charlatan gurus are more interested in filling the donation basket or selling seminar tapes than they are in teaching the less palatable, but more accurate simple truths, so eloquently expressed in the Bhagavad Gita.

 

 

"The senses are so strong and impetuous, O Arjuna, that they forcibly carry away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is endeavoring to control them." - Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Chapter 2 "Contents of the Gita Summarized," Text 60.

 

 

The "Material" Fanatic is so obsessed by his relentless attempt to satisfy insatiable desires that he becomes completely delusional and truly believes that the very purpose of the material world is for him to enjoy it, if only for a few short years before impaird by the predestined inevitable effects of suffering from illness, disease, old age and death. Such individuals may even give some charity or volunteer philanthropic services in the name of "Spirituality." However, often such pseudo-religious sentiment is motivated by politically correct social obligations instead of a real change of heart. This very scenario is so common; it is described in noteworthy detail in the Bhagavad Gita.

 

 

"The materialistic person thinks: 'So much wealth do I have today, and I will gain more according to my schemes. So much is mine now, and it will increase in the future, more and more. He is my enemy, and I have eliminated him, and my other enemies will also be removed. I am the lord of everything. I am the enjoyer. I am perfect, powerful and happy. I am the richest man, surrounded by aristocratic relatives. There is none as powerful and happy as I am. I shall perform sacrifices, I shall give some charity, and thus I shall rejoice.' In this way, such persons are deluded by ignorance." - Bhagavad Gita as It Is, Chapter 16, "The Devine and Demoniac Nature." Texts 13-15.

 

 

For these reasons it is virtually impossible for the "Material" Fanatic to comprehend that there is another reality, which lies beyond the gross senses and is not subjected to the observable defects of this world - namely: "Birth, Death, Disease, & Old Age."

 

 

"Yet there is another unmanifest nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to this manifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and is never annihilated. When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains as it is." - Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Chapter 8 "Attaining the Supreme," Text 20.

 

What Type Of Fanatic Are You?

 

 

The "Material" Fanatic does not have the personal integrity to acknowledge the limitations of their ability to figure anything out properly on their own. Instead of surrendering to the impeccable advice of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they attempt to prop up their own flawed conclusions primarily because they are more conducive to the pursuit of material gratification. Unfortunately that often includes deriding the more sober Vedic advice that guided ancient India for thousands of years far better than mankind has faired since the advent of Lord Christ.

 

 

"That understanding which considers irreligion to be religion and religion to be irreligion, under the spell of illusion and darkness, and strives always in the wrong direction, O Partha, is in the mode of ignorance." - Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Chapter 18 "Conclusion the Perfection of Religion," Text 32.

 

 

One of the most obvious symptoms of a "Material"Fanatic, is that they give more credence to the perpetually changing conclusions of speculative science, and the whimsy of public opinion, than the more stable, reliable, and historically accurate wisdom so clearly presented in the Vedic Literature. Yet despite these ill-founded viewpoints "Material" Fanatics arrogantly defend their beliefs as emphatically as those they pejoratively refer to as "Spiritual" Fanatics.

 

 

"Bewildered by false ego, strength, pride, lust and anger, those bewildered by material sense gratification become envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated in their own bodies and in the bodies of others, and blaspheme against the real religion." - Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Chapter 16. "The Devine and Demoniac Nature," Text 18.

 

[krsna]

 

 

 

I have a confession to make—I love my bike. I feel blessed. Every morning and every evening, rain or shine, I ride my bike from home to town, and then back again. As soon as I swing my leg over the saddle, and begin to pedal, I feel, well, happy. Maybe it’s the freedom to travel relatively long distances by my own physical power, on a machine of relatively simply technology. Maybe it’s the fresh air or the exercise, or simply the thrill of going somewhere…I am not sure. Sometimes I wish others would love their bike too.

Why would I wish such a thing? Because the world would be a nicer place if more people biked to school, to work, etc. For one, we would all be a lot healthier. Bike-riding is great for your health: it exercises your muscles, heart and cardiovascular system. Doctors tell us that even 20 minutes of light exercises does the body wonders, and using a bike for transportation is a practical way to get those 20 minutes in each day.

 

Bikes—unlike cars, buses, and trains—are good for Mother Earth. There are no harmful by-products from biking, and an old bike is disposed of easier than an old car. Imagine how much more quite and peaceful our cities would be if there were less cars and more bikes. Unlike the manufacture of cars, buses, and trains, bike manufacturing is a fairly simple process. It is a far less expensive process and does not require huge factories which trouble the minds and hearts of those that work in them, and also create harmful pollutants. Perhaps if we rode more and drove less, we would not be so dependent upon Middle Eastern countries for oil with all the added difficulty that brings.

 

And riding a bike is healthier for the soul. Practically every city I’ve visited has a major traffic problem, but I’ve never heard of or been in a “bike-traffic jam.” Nor have I ever had a terribly hard time parking my bike, even in busy cities. Yet being cramped up, bumper-to-bumper, in a metallic machine and then finding a parking spot is frustrating. A short bike ride, however, leaves the mind refreshed, while traffic jams cause so much stress and even “road-rage.” The slower pace of a bike allows for self-reflection and contemplation. Being exposed to the natural elements keeps one in tune with nature’s rhythms.

 

The passion of car driving, as opposed to the peace of bike-riding, may have far deeper implications than that of mental and physical health—it can have spiritual implications. Spirtual life requires a tranquil mind. The life-style involved in car-driving can work against the emotional and intellectual sensibility required to practice spiritual life.

 

So a simple bike ride may have benefits that reach to the very depths of our being! Not every one can do it, but if you can, I urge you to find the joys of biking too.

 

 

Jonathan Edelmann

 

 

 

 

 

Jonathan Edelmann is a DPhil student at the University of Oxford. His area of research is the relationship of Vaisnava conceptions of nature and creation with contemporary evolutionary theory