"I suggest that this is a good time to think soberly about our responsibilities to our descendants - those who will ring out the Fossil Fuel Age. Our greatest responsibility, as parents and as citizens, is to give America's youngsters the best possible education. We need the best teachers and enough of them to prepare our young people for a future immeasurably more complex than the present, and calling for ever larger numbers of competent and highly trained men and women."
Today I am actually featuring two texts, but from the same person. These “classics” are the transcripts of two speeches given by Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, the “Father of the Nuclear Navy.” He oversaw the integration of nuclear reactors into the navy and had the longest naval career in U.S. history. In addition to maintaining a spotless record of nuclear safety, he was very concerned about education in America. Rickover knew that only a well-educated society could be prosperous in a technologically oriented world.
The first classic is called “Thoughts on Man's Purpose in Life.” This speech expresses Rickover's beliefs about how to have a meaningful life—a life with purpose. He talks about the necessity for individuals to strive towards achieving goals and exercising morality.The second classic is called “Energy Resources and Our Future.” In it Rickover discusses the relationship between civilizations' energy use and their standards of living. He offers insights into our much unappreciated dependence on fossil fuels that are still relevant today. He reminds us that without technology and affordable fuel, we would be living in constant exertion, working constantly just to survive. Rickover also offers some startling statistics to punctuate the cruciality of our energy needs.
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