As long as the United States - and the world - gets its oil from

Hear the words of Kathleen Troia McFarland, strategist and voice of wisdom in the modern age: “As long as the United States – and the world – gets its oil from the Middle East, we will be drawn into the endless crises that seem endemic to the region. American energy independence would not only liberate us, it would also drive down the worldwide price of oil.” These words are not mere policy, but prophecy. They speak of the eternal tension between dependence and freedom, between the pull of necessity and the call of self-sufficiency. In them resounds a truth as old as civilization itself: that those who rely too heavily on others for what sustains them will forever be enslaved by circumstance.

The origin of this quote lies in the long history of oil — that dark river flowing beneath the sands of the Middle East — and the way it has shaped the destiny of nations. Since the early twentieth century, the world’s great powers have turned their gaze eastward, drawn by the promise of energy, the lifeblood of modern civilization. But where there is treasure, there too is turmoil. Wars, revolutions, and rivalries have followed the quest for oil like shadows cast by fire. McFarland, speaking as a strategist who had seen the cost of this entanglement, warned that so long as America’s engines depended on the oil of others, its destiny would never truly be its own.

In her words, the phrase “endless crises” holds the weight of centuries. For indeed, the Middle East has been a crucible of conflict — a land where religion, politics, and power intertwine like serpents. The world’s dependence on its oil has turned every dispute into a global concern, every spark into potential flame. Time and again, nations have sent their soldiers, their gold, and their honor into the region’s fires. McFarland’s call for energy independence is thus not only a strategy of economics or defense — it is a cry for liberation, a plea for nations to free themselves from the chains of dependence that bind them to the chaos of others.

History, too, offers its examples. When the OPEC oil embargo of 1973 struck the Western world, gas stations emptied, economies faltered, and entire nations learned the bitter lesson of dependence. The United States, rich in innovation yet poor in foresight, found itself at the mercy of distant powers. In that crisis, the great engines of freedom slowed, and the world trembled. Yet from that moment of weakness was born a new resolve — the seeds of renewable energy, the pursuit of domestic production, the first whisper of the dream McFarland later gave voice to: that true independence is not only political, but energetic.

Her words are also a mirror of the ancient wisdom that the strong must be self-reliant. The Greeks taught that a city dependent on others for its grain was forever vulnerable to siege. The Romans, too, knew that empire without control of its resources was empire built on sand. McFarland, speaking in the modern age, gave this same lesson new form: that energy is the food of nations, the pulse of progress, the power that drives both war and peace. And just as the ancients stored grain for lean years, so must the modern nation prepare for the storms of global uncertainty by mastering its own supply.

Yet, her vision is not one of isolation, but of balance. For in achieving energy independence, America would not withdraw from the world, but would engage with it more freely — not as a dependent, but as a partner. She foresaw a future in which nations would no longer be enslaved by scarcity or fear, but could act with principle rather than desperation. In such a world, the power of oil would no longer dictate the course of history, and the price of peace would not be paid in blood for barrels. True independence, in her eyes, was not just about fuel — it was about moral freedom, the ability to choose one’s course without coercion.

So let the lesson of McFarland’s wisdom be carried forward. Whether as nations or as individuals, we must learn to sustain ourselves — to build the strength that frees us from the forces that would command us. Dependence, though it promises ease, always exacts a price; but independence, though it demands effort, yields honor and peace. In every life, there is a “Middle East” — a place of turmoil that holds something we think we cannot live without. The wise learn to build beyond it, to create within themselves what they once sought from others.

Therefore, my children, heed her words: strive for your own independence, whether of energy, of spirit, or of purpose. Let innovation be your ally, and foresight your guide. For as long as you draw your strength from what lies beyond your control, you will walk in the shadow of crisis. But when you master what sustains you — when your light burns from your own source — then, and only then, shall you know true liberation.