The Future Is Hopeful…When Solar/Renewable Energy Age Is Here
Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers,
Fireworks (Public Domain Author Copyright holder Jon Sullivan)
(Please click on red links below and note magenta)
This post is thought through and written between July 3-4, 2014, when I was on the road, hurrying to get back to home, in Florida, for the July 4th Celebration. The televised intense discussion of situation in TX border seemingly to have added few degrees of mugginess to the airport waiting room. The overly excited rhetoric of the TV reporter presented the loosening grip of the Southern border of USA as something unprecedented in the entire human history. In reality, the territorial evolution of North American boundary had been changeable for hundreds of years. Let’s take a look at what wikipedia had to say on the subject: Territorial Evolution of North America Since 1763. The difference between then and now is the lack of bloodshed in association with any boundary changes in 21st century.
Another example is taking place in Europe during the past 60 years. Europe has shifted from a land of net emigration to one of net immigration. A progressive lessening of restrictions on labor mobility between certain European countries has taken place. As indicated in an article of Free Movement in Europe: Past and Present in MPI (Migration Policy Institute):
In a way, this opening up of borders is a return to the past. Prior to the start of World War I in 1914, there were virtually no border controls or restrictions to labor mobility across the continent. During the war, however, the crossing of borders by foreigners began to be considered a security concern, and it was at this time that passports and visas were introduced in Europe.
Then in the 1950s, when Europe was beginning to recover from the devastation of World War II and experiencing a period of intense economic growth, labor mobility was again encouraged. Because the lack of skilled workers was seen as a threat to the economy, freedom of movement of qualified industrial workers was included in the treaties founding the European Economic Community (EEC), the predecessor of the current European Union, in 1957.
If going far back enough, the same would have been true in USA. If we take a look at the history of Ellis Island, closing the border usually was preceded by occurrence of war when greater paranoia or fear resides in people’s heart. Loosening the border is generally associated with peace time when work needs to be done to induce greater economic expansion.
The oil crisis that started in 1973 put an end to the open-doors policy regarding migrant workers, who were welcomed when the economy needed them but were expected to leave when times were hard. To the surprise of the host nations, however, most of the guest workers had come to stay. Moreover, many of these migrants had invited their families to join them in the destination countries, making family ties a more prominent cause for legal migration into Europe than active labor recruitment. This dilemma was neatly summarized by Swiss author Max Frisch: “We asked for workers, but human beings came.” (Free Movement in Europe: Past and Present in MPI (Migration Policy Institute).
Why am I writing about this in Sun Is The Future? Well, the open-door policy that was closed by the oil crisis will now be opened by Solar and Renewable Energy Age. There will be so much work needing to be done! There will be countless job opportunities, better and cleaner environment, lessened fear of fuel shortage or wars among nations. It is the pressure of population density and shortage of jobs or natural resources that would fuel the potential of wars. It is high time we earthlings should recognize the fact that we are all in it (our planet Earth) together! Free mobility and free trade are both much more efficient and humane way of distributing our resources. In the long run, it would benefit all of us! Perfect example is seen in lack of free trade: the eventual outcome of tariffs on Chinese solar modules would hinder the pocket book of the American consumers.
If economics and history are still not able to convince us of the benefit of the free mobility and free trade, then please allow me to appeal to our emotions….nothing stated the sentiment as eloquently as Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor (the Statue of Liberty Song). Lyrics from the inscription on the Statue of Liberty (music by Irving Berlin and words by Emma Lazarus): Below is a video of Sandi Patty, performing Irving Berlin’s “Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor” with the Cincinnati Pops in 1999, with Emma Lazarus’ words below.
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free;
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless,
Tempest-tossed to me
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame is the imprisoned lightning,
And her name, Mother of Exiles.
From her beacon-hand glows world-wide welcome;
Her mild eyes command the air-bridged harbor
That twin cities frame.
“Keep, Ancient Lands, your storied pomp!”
Cries she with silent lips.
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free;
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless,
Tempest-tossed to me
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
Let us ask ourselves: if our neighbors’ house was burned down by the fire and needed a place to stay, how can we turn them away? Perhaps we should all simply try to do with a bit less. So, that in the long run, we will not have to deal with the cost and sufferings of bloodshed or warfare. Then, I may be able to travel to any corner on earth, and still be able to hold my head up high and be proud to be an American. For despite all of our imperfections, we are still trying and we still have not yet given up on our hope.
~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any of your questions/comments/suggestions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
www.instagram.com/sunisthefuture
www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture
www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture
www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture
www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture
Homepage: http://www.sunisthefuture.net 
Tags: Barbara Silberg, celebration, Ellis Island, Emma Lazarus, Europe, free movement, July 4th, Max Frisch, migration policy institute, MPI, oil crisis, passport, Statue of Lilberty, Sun Is The Future, sunisthefuture, sunisthefuture.net, susan sun nunamaker, territorial evolution, TX, visa, Wikipedia