When The Power Goes Out

As I sit in my car during a power outage while my netbook's battery is charging via a car adapter, I can't help but notice how reliant we are on electricity. This is something that we often do not realize until it's gone.

Back before electricity, no one missed it because it had not been invented yet. These days we become lost without it. We stumble in the dark looking for a flashlight. We worry about the parishable food items that we just bought. We wait and wait for the electricity to come back on so that we can go back to our normal lives. Even to the most rugged of society, it's a huge inconvenience.

So how would we react if it was gone for good? Would we convert back to the old ways, or would there be chaos?

The Internet was originally a DARPA project designed to survive a nuclear attack. However, I can't access it over a broadband connection while the power is still out. It requires a modem that runs on electricity. I am writing this in Notepad with intention to upload it later. I did get some electronic work done thanks to my boyfriend's car adapter. However, I've only been able to get online in small spurts at various establishments with free Wi-Fi.

I do all my work online. I actually need connectivity. More and more people are starting to as well. The attendant at the gas station told me that the electric company would have the power back on by 7AM. I really hope so.

Violet light image by Teodoro S Gruhl.