This past week, my daughter’s electricity went out for a short period, but apparently, that was still too long. She asked me how people ever managed in the old days. And I replied, they didn’t, they invented electricity.
That got me to thinking of all the things we use on a daily basis that require electricity in one form or another. Microwaves, cell phones, computers, refrigerators, stoves, toasters, radios, cars, traffic lights, power tools, lights and heat, washers and dryers, to name a few. We depend on these things and many more just to survive. Electricity powers our daily existence.
Yet, the people who lived in the so-called old days were not nearly as lost as we would be without our modern conveniences. They were not dependent upon electricity like today’s society. They had everything they needed; hand tools for working and building things, a horse and buggy for transportation, a fireplace or stove for heat. And the list continues: oil lamps, wood-cook stoves, iceboxes, washboards, etc. Most households these days have very few of those things - if any.
Not long ago, I heard that four out of five homes in America rely entirely on electricity to heat their homes – with no backup. And most of the other twenty percent would last only a few days with their limited supply of wood or fuel oil. So, if the country were to suddenly be without power for any extended period, I think it’s safe to say there would be widespread chaos.
I’d like to believe that I’d fare better than most. Having been privileged to live before a lot of these modern conveniences, I think I’d be okay. I don’t really need all that stuff to survive anyway. Well, except for my computer. And my phone. Maybe central air and heat. Oh, and a microwave. And running water is nice. Then of course, there’s my pickup and…
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