Why it is ALL Our Responsibility to Help With the Gulf Coast Crisis

By Deborah J. Thompson

Did you get into your car and drive to work today? Take a bus? Board an airplane? How many car trips does your family take every day, every week, every month? According to The U.S. Energy Information Administration, the United States uses about 2/3 of our oil consumption for our transportation needs.

I am just as sick as everyone else about the epic oil spill that is destroying our Gulf Coast. And the pristine stretch of Florida's Northwest coast is "MY" beach - I have been enjoying its emerald waters and powdery white sand since I was a child. It is where I hope to retire some day. I have taken countless trips there over the years and guess what? I always drive or fly to get there. I have used incalculable gallons of gasoline just to experience this magical place.

And as sick as I am about this disaster, I have to face one very unpleasant fact - it is MY fault they are drilling in the Gulf. I am a consumer of gasoline. So I must bear some of the responsibility for this horrific event in our history. And if you are honest with yourself, so should you.

So what can we do? Well, in the long run it is clear that we must put more pressure on government and industry to move away from the world's dependence on fossil fuels. I am of the opinion that God gave us the sun for free and we have done ourselves and our earth a terrible disservice by not fully utilizing its capability. We could power our homes, offices, cars, etc., with solar energy if only our captains of industry and our global governments would take a longer world view than today's bottom-line. Just think where we would be if we had adopted this as a goal during the energy crisis of the 1970's! We might have prevented this catastrophe entirely because we might not have been drilling in the Gulf (or anywhere else) at all.

But in the short-run our neighbors, friends and families along the Gulf Coast need our help. The restaurants, hotels, condos, shop-keepers and others who make their living from our tourism dollars, need us to continue to visit. And yes, I know; we will be using gas to get there! But be honest; if you cancel your vacation to the Gulf Coast, aren't you still going to be using gas to get somewhere?

And it's true; we save all year to afford to take a relaxing vacation in a beautiful locale. But since we are admittedly part of the problem, can't we be also become part of the solution? Can't we use this as a teaching experience for our children about the environment, taking responsibility for how our actions affect the world around us, and making sacrifices to help others in need?

So this year, more than any other, please consider taking a vacation to this American treasure. Maybe it won't be the idyllic experience that you had planned, but it will be something much more important. It will be an investment in protecting a way of life that our collective way of life has threatened.

We rallied around the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Can't we rally around the victims of a disaster that was caused partly because of ALL our dependence on oil and gas?

Now if we could just get the IRS to allow us to write off the expense as a charitable contribution - that would be an easy first step towards doing "whatever's necessary to help the Gulf Coast and its people to recover from this tragedy" as President Obama promised in his latest speech. So what about it, Mr. President and Congress? Why not provide a tax break to stimulate commerce along the Gulf Coast? That seems like a simple "trip" we could all take together.

Deborah J. Thompson is a writer, artist and Stephen Minister. Please visit her website http://www.inspiredreflections.info for additional "Reflections" on Life and Marriage. She is working on her first book, Your Life, Your Choice, which gives 5 simple steps to bring more Love, Joy and Peace into your life. Join her on Facebook and Twitter/InspireReflect.

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