Saving the Earth for your Image

Article Source/ URL: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/on-facebook-some-friendly-energy-rivalry/?ref=technology#

The article On Face book Some Healthy Energy Rivalry is about how the company Opower is using face book to keep people green. Keeping green has become less about saving the earth, but more about doing it to keep people thinking good of you. When you use a light bulb (that isn’t green) or electricity you are trapping carbon dioxide in the earth. If your neighbor see’s that you don’t use a green light bulb they might somewhat judge you. Nobody wants to be judged so they do whatever possible to fit in. It might not be what is morally right, but still it’s saving the earth! Opower has an app on face book where you get a certain number of points every time you use electricity. That way since everyone can see people, try and use a little as possible to not seem environmentally selfish.

The author of this article is trying to say that, to save the world from electronics we need electronics! We don’t care about what is important anymore just what other people think of us. Leslie Kaufman says “way that such information plays off social relationships and creates peer pressure” its what society does to us! Everyone pays attention to what others look like, the trends, ways to be cool. No one focuses on the true ethics anymore!

I think that its good that Opower thought of this! Millions of people use face book every single day! Including myself. This could become a big part of saving the world! I just find it frustrating that the only reason why  people really try and help the earth, is to keep their image good. People think the world is too big to help. But if everyone thinks that no one will even bother helping. And everything will just get worse. Then what will people think they will tell themselves “ its not my fault what could I do?” they could of made a impact even if it were a small one it could catch on!

The powerful have no power without the people

I am reading Witch and Wizard- The fire by James Patterson. This book is about two teenage brother and sister who are wizards and live in a world where they are being hunted down. This world is ruled by a man called The One who is The One, he banned books, art, music, dance, and any type of uniqueness! He believes if you do anything wrong you deserve to die. The girl Wisteria has the power of a million, and has a mission to destroy The One. He either wants to combine his power with hers or kill her.

Wisteria knows she is the most powerful person in the world, she feels the energy of her magic rush through her. But yet defeating The One seems impossible for her. She has him in her grip and cant bring herself to look at what she has done to him. She doesn’t want to be that kind of person, that kills for what they want. When she turns away he rises again even stronger. It shows he thrives off weakness. For that moment she showed no mercy he was powerless. Everyone was always afraid of him so no one stood up to him and stopped him. When someone finally does prove their power over him, he doesn’t believe that he is stronger. She doesn’t want to become him, someone who knows they have power, and that people should look up to them. She feels that by looking at him she will become a monster that it would take to kill someone. But to be that monster you have to kill because you just want to.

I have never liked people who thrive off power. The ones who put themselves on a throne above everyone else and expect to be respected. And they are, no one knows really what to say to them. I had a friend who did that, was mean and controlling to everyone and expected them to still be friends with her. After about five years everyone got sick of it, even her closest friends. People told her she wasn’t acting cool but she ignored them, and thought how dare they say that to me! Its not until everyone just left her did she realize, wow how have I been treating these people? Its like a chair, you need it to sit at a table, be high up and supported. Without the seat or legs of the chair you fall and get hurt. They don’t support you anymore so you cant be higher than them!