File:Step on the gas.jpg

Step on the gas, by Erik Pevernagie, oil on canvas. xx

If we feel we do not focus enough on our actual needs, we like to know the traps of our fake priorities and find out how to identify and avoid them. By stopping trendy causes and averting shiny object syndrome, we eschew misallocation of time and energy. If we take responsibility for our actions, we can avoid creating a culture of blame-shifting or missing out on valuable chances for better insight.

We know how tempting it is to step on the gas.

On the one hand, oil-producing countries ask us to accelerate continuously.

On the other hand, energy-consuming countries want us to slow down our consumption.

In the background of the dialectic discussions about a permanent contradiction between the increase and decrease of energy consumption, the environmental challenges arouse worry and dramatic social unrest.

Crimes against nature and the environment are regularly committed, and "Plausible deniability" has become a keyword for manipulative strategies.

If evidence of participation in suspicious activities crops up, perpetrators easily deny cognizance playfully and shift blame onto the scapegoats on duty. Such a procedure helps avoid backlash; everybody can step on the gas as if nothing has ever happened.

By providing evidence "beyond a reasonable doubt," any allegation can be countered.

Phenomenon: Energy consumption