And Now, A Word From Grace

noreply@blogspirit.com (Bryan Thompson) — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 22:05:00 +0000

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Translation: "People must learn to respect each other. We must fight the wars, hatred, and injustices around us! It cannot go on. Also, when my mom and dad change my diaper and give me a bath, they are wasting my time. Seriously!"

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noreply@blogspirit.com (Bryan Thompson) — Fri, 3 Mar 2006 21:15:00 +0000

A couple of nights ago, my wife and I woke up to an unpowered apartment. The apartment was stuffy, there were no lights on in the apartment, and none of the electronic devices were working (like alarm clocks - which I've come to realize are highly unnecessary with a nine-month-old in the next room). It was official: we were powerless.

I knew it couldn't have been any of the breaker switches in the next room because everything was off. We figured the apartment itself may have had some difficulties with electricity. That would have seemed rather odd, though, because it was a clear night. No storms anywhere. So, we called 9-1-1 to get the phone number for the 24 hour service techs. My wife made the call and told them the situation, in which case the service technician directed me outside to the electric meter to flip the major breaker switch. As it turned out, we had run the air conditioner that night for the first time since November, and something in that switch from heat-to-cool must have triggered the breaker. As I flipped the switch, I immediately heard my Yorkshire Terrier bark like crazy - which let me know that things were now working again.

Thankfully, we weren't without electricity for long, but something my wife said to the service technician stuck out to me. When she called, the first thing she said was, "We have no power in our apartment and we have a nine-month-old baby!"

Clearly, this was an emergency, and that was communicated clearly to the service technician on the other end of the line.

And in my groggy 2 AM frame of mind, I began to think, We really ARE dependent upon modern technology, aren't we? I know, that's pretty obvious; but really think about that for a minute. Most of us in this country don't know what we would do if suddenly, we had no vehicle, no email, no internet, no cable television, no TiVo, no DVD player, MP3 player, or iTunes; no microwave ovens or EasyMac, or even refrigerators.

And yet one-third of the world we share time and space with have none of these things. In fact, not only do they live each day without electricity, but they also live without gas for their heat and food. They live without any real hope of medical attention or education. The AIDS problem in the nations of Africa has risen to an all-time high, and many other poverty-stricken countries are following suit. Children in these heartbreaking villages are burying their mothers, their brothers and sisters, and their fathers (if they do in fact know their fathers).

And it gets even harder to swallow. To these children and families, these situations are happening all the time. It's not a one-time deal like it is for those of us viewing on our electronically-powered television. For these kids and families, this is the life they have always known. They've never known anything different.

So what does this mean for us? Does this mean that we should feel unbelievably guilty for owning possessions and electronic devices that make our lives easier? I don't know. I didn't do anything to be born into a middle-class North American family. I just was. I know that thinking about these types of issues, though, does make us think about "Blessings" and "thankfulness" in different ways.

So think about it? What are your electronic devices saying to you?

Bryan Thompson :: Blogged - culture

And Now, A Word From Grace

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