I never manage to catch Radio National's Ockham's Razor when it's broadcast, so I'm really pleased that I can get it as a podcast these days—even if it sometimes takes me a week or two to catch up.
But without exception, it's always worth listening. Take the episode from a week ago featuring Dr Valerie Yule. Robyn Williams introduces:
Why do people where I work take a lift to go one floor, up or down? Even apparently fit young men. Delicate flowers, need to save their knees perhaps.
Just as I've wondered why people cram onto an already overcrowded tram at Melbourne Central Station only to get off one stop later—for their workout at the City Baths? Perhaps they'd be past their peak if they carried their gym bags all of one city block.
Or why do my colleagues have unopened magazines in their wastepaper baskets still in their plastic wrappers, instead of passing them on or even recycling them. 'Why, sheer laziness' was the ever so honest answer one fellow gave me.
Yep, there's an energy crisis alright: a crisis of human energy. Dr Yule presents an exhortation on the benefits of exertion—both physical and mental:
'Soul-destroying' labour is not just a turn of phrase…Today, lives which would have been wrecked by manual drudgery, including slavery, have been rescued by machines, invented with our mental energy. Machines are our slaves instead.
But anything good can be taken to extremes. Saving human physical energy may have gone to extremes. Electric egg-slicers in the home - really?
Excuse me? Did I hear that right? Come on, own up anyone who's got an electric egg-slicer—I dare you!
Ironically, we are discovering that human bodies need physical exercise.
Sadly, this "discovery" would come as a stunning newsflash to many.
But our reaction to this discovery, to the discovery that we need physical exercise is ironic. Do we say, 'Right, we can save some fossil fuels by replacing some of the ways we use electric power, with human power again?' Slice our eggs by hand? Push a manual lawn mower on our pocket-sized lawns? Well, no. Instead people drive to the gym to exercise on machines.
Hmmm, in air-conditioned comfort and all. Wouldn't know a lungful of fresh air if it puffed them over.
But she doesn't limit herself to the physical energy crisis:
It is a mistake to feel that useful physical exercise is wrong, but worse is happening. The drive to save human energy has been extending not just to physical energy, but to mental energy, too. What do I mean by mental energy? It is our essential zip, our capacity for vigorous mental activity. There doesn't seem to be a psychological test that measures it. If it could be measured, it would be measured in joys rather than joules.
Take her hint for revving up mental energy:
Step 1 of the Wishing Game: think of a problem.
Step 2, think how to solve it, use magic if you like.
Step 3, think of how the bastards will mess it up.
Step 4, think of how you can stop the bastards messing it up.
And, if Step 5, Action, turns into something really useful for everybody, your heart can beat more strongly as you receive the Goldest Medal at the next Skill Olympics.
And interestingly, exercising your mental energy is something that's very easy to do while cruising along on a bike—talk about a full-body workout!
Yeah, I mentioned the inaugural event last year but for one reason and another I didn't end up getting along. I'm glad to hear that it was popular enough to make a return again this year. Thanks for letting me know and hopefully I'll be able to attend this time.
ah, good :) also : have you seen this article on treehugger.com ? http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/03/how_does_pollut.php
cheers, tom
Comments
hello there,
i was just wondering if you know about : www.celluloidcycles.com.au? i heard about this film festival this morning on triple r radio and thought that you might want to know.
cheers,
tom