On July 4th, we celebrate the day we won our independence from foreign rule. But today we face a new kind of tyranny. George W. Bush said it best when he told us “America is addicted to oil,” but Nixon said it first over 40 years ago. Back then, we imported 24 percent; today we import over 70 percent, much of it from countries the State Department calls “dangerous and unstable.”  For four decades we have failed to pass a comprehensive energy policy to help us mitigate this addiction, and the consequences are mounting.  With 97 percent of our transportation sector running on petroleum, the national security risks are significant.  The BP oil spill is a continuing reminder that the ecological risks are equally significant.

As the blame game for the Gulf crisis persists, the din of Obama-bashing, BP-blasting pundits is finally settling down.  However, this relative quiet does not signal a solution to the oil spill that has officially become the worst in US history.  Rather, it’s a sign of apathy, a threat as insidious as the crude spewing from the underwater rig and snaking its way through our wetlands. 

This isn’t to say that we Americans don’t care.  Most of us, in fact, express deep concern over drowned pelicans and lost livelihoods.  The problem is, few of us are doing much about it.  The primary culprit? Comfort.  It exerts a stronger pull on our actions than the self-righteous words coming out of our mouths. America’s affinity for comfort poses a serious threat in our quest for energy independence.  It’s almost as if we’ve forgotten that freedom has its price.

It didn’t start out this way. The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were well-educated men of means - doctors, lawyers, jurists, merchants, and plantation owners — who risked their fortunes and their lives to free our country from British tyranny. Their reward?  Twelve had their homes burned. Five were tortured and killed.  Many others fled for their lives, went into hiding, and went bankrupt.  At least four died in rags.  For our founding fathers, freedom wasn’t free, and it was anything but comfortable.  Today, we see far less of this brand of leadership.  We sacrifice the common good in favor of special interests, and we do so at the expense of a secure and sustainable future.

When did We the People become so weak?  We can find the answer in the wisdom of Alexis de Tocquville.  A Royalist turned republican, Tocqueville was a French aristocrat who, fueled by love of liberty, came to America with the intent of observing democracy done right.  In his opus Democracy in America in 1835, Tocqueville recognizes our virtues without sugarcoating our vices. On the subject of comfort, Tocqueville’s observation about us still rings true today:

As American citizens cling to comfort, we lose touch with the virtues of sacrifice and duty that earned us the position we enjoy today.  This weakness makes us vulnerable. In allowing this to happen, We the People are the author of our own demise.  Sam Adams saw this coming when he noted, "Democracy never lasts long.  It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself." He insisted, "There was never a democracy that ‘did not commit suicide.’" Until we learn from history, we’re bound to keep repeating it.  Or, as Tocqueville put it, “When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness.” 

Despite our failings, Tocqueville had great faith in American democracy.  Where Rousseau believed in sacrificing self-interest to the General Will, Tocqueville believed that citizens could exercise their self-interest in a constructive way through “voluntary associations” that would act as buffers of authority between the individual and the nation state.   Today, the concept of voluntary associations is manifested in organizations such as the US Green Building Council, whose consensus-based approach is turning one of the most polluting industries into a vehicle for successful energy management.  The US Conference of Mayors has also taken leadership on greener building and transportation.  Thankfully the blessed unrest spurred by these and hundreds of other communities is moving us forward. 

As for the rest of us, we can celebrate America’s birthday with a new declaration of independence.  The forefathers showed us freedom has a cost, but it also has its rewards.  May our grandchildren someday look back to see the same valour in us.    
 
• Anna M. Clark is the author of Green, American Style.  She blogs on Eco-Leadership for Greenbiz.com.