In Canada, it’s fair to say we take electricity for granted. On those extremely rare occasions where we lose power, everyone’s usually in the same boat – enjoying the nostalgia of lighting candles and having conversations that aren’t distracted by the TV, and comforted by the implied knowledge that an hour later everything will be back to normal.
Back in May, Zanzibar had a month-long blackout. Some businesses survived by running expensive generators; others just closed up shop. No computers, no TV, no lights, no fridge, no fans, no A/C. A glimpse into life in centuries past, except much worse since our lives revolve around the presumption that these things will work.
It puts our dependency on technology in perspective. Spend today imagining the effect of a long-term blackout in your city. The obvious ones – computers and TV and electric heaters – would be a pain in the ass, but tolerable as you remember the fun of the outdoors and the comfort of hot cocoa.
The one thing I think we’d all struggle with is communication. No e-mails or Facebook would only be the beginning. Your cell phone would be toast. You’d try to take advantage of the relic that is your parents’ landline until you realize you don’t know anyone’s number (they’re all memorized in your cell’s contact list). Technology might not be our direct friend, but it's the direct link to our friends, and we could expect prolonged periods of loneliness and isolation without it.
Fear not: there are no blackouts coming to destroy your electronic life. But it’s worth putting in perspective how much of your life is dependent on your ability to plug in. It's worth remembering that the entire system crumbles if you remove a single element. And just maybe, it’s worth taking a couple of conscious steps towards freeing yourself from the clutches of technology – even just for peace of mind.
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