Electricity defines our society – appreciate it.

Back in December, we, like many here in the Northeast, were hit by a severe ice storm that knocked out electricity for tons of people. We, like most, were left stumbling around in the dark using flashlight, candles and whatever heat sources we could find. Fortunately, personally, our own power was only out for 5 days, so we were not that bad off although it did make us rethink our back up plans and our appreciation of electricity.

The most surreal part of this experience for us was how much of our time was consumed by seemingly trivial tasks as cooking, washing up, and just staying warm. In today’s modern homes, cooking, bathing and just staying warm are really things you don’t spend too much time on since electricity provides fast and efficient ways to do all of these. Think about how much time it took you to clean yourself up this morning. Now, think how much more time it would have taken you if you would have had to first light a fire, and then wait for a pot of water to boil before you could take that shower, especially if you take into account the amount of hot water you probably used in your shower which was definitely more than one pot full. How about cooking? With microwaves, and modern stoves, meals are cooked at the push of a button or flip of a dial. Without electricity (or gas), it wouldn’t be this easy. And what about lighting our homes? We go from room to room, switching on a light switch, ordering it to give us light. Without electricity, we are forced to carry candles, flashlights, or risk lots of stubbed toes and stepped-on cat tails.

My point here is that our society is so dependent on electricity that we don’t even realize it anymore. We expect light and heat to be there at the flip of a switch, and without even appreciating how easy electricity is making our lives. We as a society need to learn to appreciate what we have, and in this appreciation, know that we should not waste this gift that has in so many ways made our lives easier. This article is made possible by electricity since it was typed on a 14-15 watt portable computer, and sent to the World Wide Web via a router and cable modem, and from there transported from electric –powered server to server until it eventually reached you who are most likely reading this on yet another computer powered by our friend, electricity. Then again, this is just Life According To Troy.