"Don't Get Them Before They're Gone"

The story "The New Atlantis"by Ursula K. Le Guin brings up some interesting points in regards to resources. It paints a picture of a world where the government controls all the resources, or more correctly what is left of them. This is something that I had not previously thought of, that if we use up most of our resources, who will control them? This is of course, assuming that scientists do not come up with cheaper, more effective sources of power, and this shows the importance of coming up with alternatives to traditional sources of power.

The words of Simon as he is explaining to Belle the situation paint a disturbing picture of what would happen if alternative sources are not found."'The state owns us,' he said, 'because the corporative State has a monopoly on power sources, and there's not enough power to go around. But now, anybody could build a generator on heir roof that would furnish enough power to light a city.'" It seems that not even solar power exists in this alternate future, suggesting that perhaps the government destroyed the technology used to create it to ensure their monopoly over the people. Sadly, it seems that progress is not encouraged, as everyone working on their project know that it can never be used. "Because they couldn't rejoice aloud over a job done and a discovery made, but had to hide there and whisper about it."

This story should serve as a warning as to what could possibly happen if we continue down our current road. This is an interesting and clever way to get across the importance of looking for alternative fuel sources to fossil fuels. The less resources we have, the more expensive they will become. This could eventually mean that they only fall into the hands of the rich and powerful, affording them all the benefits and luxuries that electricity and other forms of energy provide. This can all be avoided, however, it alternative fuel sources are researched, developed, and our dependence on fossil fuels is lessened.

Perhaps the author wrote this story as a warning. As stated before, this is an interesting, if unnerving possibility to think of, and something that I had not really thought of before. Maybe this scenario was written in order to appeal to those who do not view pollution as a problem. It certainly is a problem, and it could have much farther reaching consequences than we think. Maybe by writing a scenario in which it effects every aspect of our lives and leads to a totalitarian government, it can get some people thinking about it that might otherwise not care. This work certainly made me think, and got me wondering, what other unforeseen circumstances may arise if we continue to use the finite amount of resources we have without giving thought to the future?


Work cited: Le Guin, Ursula K. "The New Atlantis". Lightspeed, Issue 58, March, 2015. Accessed 28 March. 2017.