No electricity for a week

I was out walking today with a friend and for some reason we got to talk about lifestyle. Maybe because we were sitting in a restaurant at the top of Zürich, at a perfect summer day, looking out over the city and the lake while sipping a glass of cold white wine.

Anyway, later I was philosophing about how it was when I grew up. And him too for that matter, being older than me. My feeling is that people nowadays are ungrateful and unaware how difficult it was in earlier days.

I'm not saying I had a difficult childhood or that I was abused or anything like that. I'm just saying that we (I) had to try harder back then. Not everything was immediately accessible or within reach with a click on the keyboard. Nor did we have credit cards. Back then it was first working hard, then earn some money, and after that a choice how to spend it. If at all, it could also be saved.

And I was speculating in how people nowadays would survive without electricity. I'm not that old, so I grew up with electricity, but still. It's a mind-blowing idea. Imagine not having electricity for a week.

Getting up in the morning, oh no, computer doesn't work. Then you may want to switch on the coffee machine, oh no, doesn't work. Cook breakfast? Forget it. It's summer and the stuff in your fridge or freezer is gonna go quickly. Stove and microwave are off. Call for a take-out? Yes, if you have charged the battery on your mobile phone. Chances are they cannot deliver, 'cause of no electricity.

Watch telly? Hard without electricity. Shopping? Probably not, since the electronic payments won't work.

I guess there is a reason that every country which had a major electricity break-down for a half a day or so, have a baby-boom nine months later. Or why poor or "developing countries" have such a young population.

It was just a thought, but nevertheless, I think it would be educational for everybody (who doesn't already) to live without electricity for a week. I know I would survive, but would you?