Remembering Blackout 2003
Remember a simpler time when we had no electricity, no gasoline for our cars or cellphones? It was not the 1800s, it was only 4 weeks ago.
We have grown up with many conveniences that we take for granted. We use them every day without giving a second thought to any of them. The typical school day begins with the alarm clock ringing, using the indoor bathroom (no chamberpot here), grabbing a sandwich out of the refrigerator and jumping into the car with the radio blasting. This list doesn't even count the millions of times we turn on and off the electricity during the day.
I am sure that we can add on many more conveniences that were created to make our lives easier, everything from a walkman to a washing machine to a lawnmower. We should not forget the telephone, television, or the airplane.
The United States has the strongest military, strongest economy, strongest citizen base in the world. We have the most conveniences in the world too. The question is, do these conveniences enhance our lives, or take over them?
There is a cartoon of a computer thinking as a man was walking toward it, "Here comes my slave." This is the personification of the real problem. We have all these gadgets and the newest toys, but they are taking us away from dealing with ourselves and having relationships with others.
What did we all do during the Blackout of 2003? Did we take advantage of the opportunities that were presented? There was no television or radio to distract us. Did we speak to our families and friends? Or did we just gripe and complain. I heard of several people that took out their grill and had a barbeque for their family and neighbors. Their refrigerator was not working and keeping the meat cold, so they decided to make a party out of the experience.
Conveniences are not a bad thing. They are tools that can be used productively or not. Television is a great example of a tool. Are we using the time watching television as an educational tool, or watching garbage like porn or other programs which relegates women or men to nothing more than just their bodies. (And we wonder where real relationships have gone)
Driving is a great opportunity which most of us miss every day. We take for granted that driving is an individual sport we don't share with others. This is an opportunity in this busy world to get to know another person better. The drive to Wayne State is a good half an hour drive for many students. It would be great to coordinate carpools coming from the same areas, perhaps creating a sense of community by getting to know each other better.
Welcome to the 21st Century, where we have all the toys we want, and the divorce rate is at the 50% mark. What does this mean to us and what do we plan on doing to change this equation. When people would rather instant messenger than make a phone call, what does this say about society? The Blackout of 2003 was a wonderful wake up call. We need to stop hitting the snooze button.