During last night's thunderstorm I heard the crash of a lightning strike followed by the explosion of a power transformer very close to my house and then the lights went out. I was in the middle of washing dishes and had to just let them sit. I didn't bother to light candles or oil lamps as it would have just heated the place up more quickly. I just grabbed my LED flashlight and made due with that.
After about an hour the power was still out so I decided to just call it an early evening and hit the sack. I think I was only alseep for about an hour when the power came back on. I didn't bother checking the clock, I just switched off the lights that were now repowered, plugged the air condiioner back in, and went back to bed.
In our modern society we really are quite dependent upon the elecrical power grids that run our homes. From cold food to hot water, cooking, televisions, radios, computers, and lighting, we rely on the power companies to keep our homes and offices running as we expect them to do. There is very little for us to do when this power grid fails. None of our appliances will funtion. Climate control systems fail us. Our perishable food is at risk of spoilage if it goes on too long.
We really are power junkies aren't we? Most of the stuff we depend on in our lives simply cease to function when the power fails and we are suddenly out of our element. Electrical power has greatly improved the quality of our daily lives but it has also made us dependent upon it to such an extent that there is very little for us to do when it fails us except to await it's restoration.
Maybe the Amish have the right idea.