Friday, November 4, 2011

The Power of Power

Sunday October 30th, I was unable to make a new post in my blog due to a widespread power outage- something I'm sure many of my classmates also had to endure. Admittedly, I was absolutely miserable not being able to go on the Internet and my phones internet capables were even acting shotty. Around 9 on Sunday night I was huddled by the fire with my family thinking about how people used to live by these standards. It was candlelight that illuminated a room and a crackling fire that brought warmth in the midst of winter. This thought terrified me...

Having grown up in a time of vast technological advances as well as other luxuries, I have grown comfortable to using my wireless internet connection or charging up my iPod for a run. Having known these things, it makes it near impossible to imagine life without them. But when the power went out, I was given a first hand look at how it was to live, say, around the time of Lincoln.

With the lightbulb having been invented in 1879, Lincoln was just shy 14 years of seeing its creation. Today, media plays a huge role in politics and during the time of Lincoln's campaign, candidate really had to rely on world-of-mouth to pass along through the states to get voters to hear about them. As things like the lightbulb were invented, society quickly begins to change around it.
It was comical to see my family huddled around the fire and I almost prized myself on being free from any form of electronics but I looked down and saw my Kindle in my hands. Even though Abraham Lincoln had no choice but to read his books on paper, I still felt accomplished for having tried to "rough it".

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