People will adapt to high prices, but I’m doubtful people will change.

I’ve been reading and watching the media about the high gas/oil prices – people switching to more economical cars/SUVs and looking into alternative sources of energy.

That is old news; meaning, it is very old news.

I was too young to remember the muscle car era when fuel was plentiful and people wanted powerful vehicles.

I was young, but remember the ’80s when Detroit started putting out underpowered, fuel-efficient cars and trucks.

Fuel became more plentiful in the ’90s and Detroit started putting out high-powered cars and trucks again, some with gas mileage equal to that of the old muscle cars.

As I scan over a few of my magazines, I read about how other countries are starting to use biodiesel fuel. There are articles about solar energy and wind generators for the average homeowners; and people converting their cars from gas to electric to combat the ever-rising cost of fuel. There are advertisements for new, fuel-efficient cars and trucks, and articles about being self-sufficient, gardening, cooking, farming, livestock, etc. The date of these magazines is 1980. “Mother Earth News” it was called.

Hard to believe those articles were printed 28 years ago.

People will adapt to the high fuel costs, but will we actually learn anything?

Time will tell.

James Pare, Auburn