“That is why I made the claim that the relationship is symbiotic.”
Yep. It’s “supply and demand”.
Not “supply or demand”.
However, the problem is when all the stuff we are demanding is supplied from overseas. Like my young kids. They get spending money from birthdays and Christmas. Without actually producing anything, they are pretty limited in their consumption.
The fact that we are huge consumers is probably a good thing. It means that we are higher up on the economic food chain and can afford the non-necessities.
However, you have a very good point — at what point does the whole thing unravel? We take a lot for granted and are very dependent on these “things.” How many of us could forage for food if we really had to. Or how many of us have a big enough backyard to be able to grow food to sustain our families? Very few of us, I bet.