The Meaning of Life 70
oil skyrocketed. Gas stations had to shut down because no
oil was available, so people began to steal gasoline. There’s
a famous picture from the era with a boy together with
what’s most likely his father. The father carries a revolver
and the boy is holding a sign saying, “Gas stealers beware!
We’re loaded for Bear!”^41
But after the crisis ended, you could see how the society
had adapted itself to the new conditions. While US as
a whole became 32 percent more oil-efficient, vehicles
became 50 percent more oil-efficient. To set an example, the
former US President Jimmy Carter installed solar panels
on the top of the White House. “A generation from now,
this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece,
an example of a road not taken,” Carter said. America
chose the latter when the solar panels disappeared during
President Ronald Reagan. The panels were not installed
again until Barack Obama became the President.^43
Another energy crisis took place in Cuba. After the fall
of the Soviet Union and after an increased blockade by US,
Cuba couldn’t import oil and entered a period known as the
Special Period. Blackouts could last for sixteen hours a day,
and they had to rope buckets with water to the top of the
tallest buildings. As an act of desperation, they imported
1.2 million bicycles from China and the Cubans themselves
manufactured 500 000 more.^44
But in a similar way as after the 1973 energy crisis, the
Cuban society adapted to these new conditions. It became
common to hitchhike and government cars were required
to pick up anyone who wanted a ride. The Cubans devel-