Steemit Engagement Challenge / S19/W2 - Life without electricity

To be honest, I was just thinking about how relatable the posts on Steemit are. Here's the thing: I was studying and working on some research today, but it rained, and when it rains in Pakistan, especially in Karachi, the electricity breaks down. Since it's the rainy season, even a slight drizzle can cut off our electricity.

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My Experience Without Electricity

This morning, the power went out, and my phone needed charging. I kept studying on my laptop, but the battery started to drain. I didn't let it get to the last percentage. I thought about using my phone, but its battery was low too. If an important call came in, I wouldn't be able to attend it, so I decided not to use my phone and left some battery in it. The whole day passed without electricity, and I got increasingly frustrated because my entire day was getting wasted. It was raining, so I went out for a while to enjoy it with my family, but I knew once I went back home, it would be hot inside because no fan or AC would be working. To cool off my anger a bit, I called a friend, and we went to a tea stall for a while.

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After spending the whole day outside, I came home at sunrise, and the power was still out. The UPS was also running low. I picked up my phone and decided to make a Steemit challenge post.

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The Importance of Electricity

Life without electricity—I would say my entire life currently depends on my computer, laptop, and phone. Given the heat in Karachi, even staying in AC for 24 hours doesn't bring relief. Now, you're asking about living without electricity.

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To be honest, when the electricity goes out, it's not just the electricity; our local gas and water supply also stop. The reason is, when the power goes out, everyone turns on their generators, which consume gas, so there's no gas in the stoves. And without electricity, electric stoves can't run, so no electricity means no cooking, no cooking means more frustration. When the power goes out for a long time, the water pump won't run, the tank won't fill, and there will be no water in the taps. In such heat, if you can't even wash your face, it adds to the frustration.

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Let's say you somehow manage to cook food on wood, but you can only cook once, not repeatedly. Once you've cooked, if you sit down to eat at night, it will be cold and dry, and you can't heat it in the microwave.

Watching TV in bed is out of the question, playing PlayStation or browsing the internet is a far-off thought. Simple things like listening to music or reading a novel in bed by the candlelight are impossible. Often, when I'm studying, sweat drips from my hands and ruins the book. Hahaha.

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I've been talking about heat in every mention of life without electricity, but think about it—if there was no electricity, there wouldn't be well-built houses with rooms. We would go back to living in tents and open fields under the sky with a thin sheet, like before the age of electricity, with a central light source illuminating everyone.

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Impact on Profession and Society

Now, if I talk about my profession, medicine, the impact is huge. Hospitals completely rely on electricity for diagnostics, record-keeping, computer software, and life-saving equipment. Without electricity, medical procedures will slow down or completely stop, making patient care challenging again.

Imagine being in a hospital where you're lying in the heat, waiting for a doctor to see you. Your records are on paper, reports are hard to get, and you're running around after doctors. There are no ventilators or the latest technology, and we're back to using traditional surgical tools.

Without electricity in today's age, the damage isn't just physical but also mental and emotional. It's said that to destroy a society, just cut off their electricity and water. People will be more emotionally affected than physically, mentally strained, their anxiety and anger levels will rise, and they'll end up destroying themselves.

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Coping with Power Outages

Personally, I'm very frustrated with power outages, so I spend most of my time at university, where there's always power, and the library is running. I don't feel the heat of Karachi there. There's proper lighting and fast internet, allowing me to recharge and complete assignments on time. Honestly, if you ask about Karachi, there are two main reasons why people get frustrated: the traffic and the load shedding, which have driven everyone crazy. Everyone here is always in a hurry, always angry, and nearly one in three people has high BP.

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I remember when I was young, there was a proper load-shedding schedule where we lived. It went out for about 10 hours a day, leaving only 14 hours with power. We had activities planned for those power outage times to avoid wasting time.

I lived in a joint family, so I had many cousins around the same age. When the power went out from 10 PM to 12 AM, a strange time because you can't sleep, we would all go to the rooftop under the open sky. We would play running games, tag, board games like ludo, or sit and sing songs. We played so many games, and I still fondly remember those times. Now, I'm so busy that I hardly get time to meet those cousins.

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Hearing this, you might laugh, and I don't say this lightly, but sometimes we were happy when the power went out because the whole family would sit together, interact face-to-face, share stories, creating an overwhelming environment of engagement and outdoor activities. Sometimes we'd go to another area where there was power to play cricket.

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Conclusion

In the end, I hope you all understand the importance of electricity in our lives. I urge you, no matter how wealthy you are, not to waste electricity. Any facility or luxury, use it wisely, no matter how much you have, use only what's needed. So, I'm reminding you all to appreciate and use this precious resource wisely.

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@huzaifanaveed1, @o1eh, @kouba01 , @sofian88 and @soulfuldreamer, I invite you to join the 'Life without Electricity' contest and share your thoughts and experiences.

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regards,
@abdu.navi03