As Power Outages Hit the Eastern U.S., Tripoli is Still Without the Basics

It's important to put things in perspective. While four million people are without power in the eastern United States, there are 2 million people in the capital city of Libya who have no running water or electricity, and are quickly running out of food and fuel.

Here in America, we complain about not being able to watch television or plug in our electronic devices, and some even seem baffled as to what they should do. It's sad that so many of us don't know how to live life without electricity.

After a severe wind and ice storm hit Washington state in the late nineties, our power was out for three days. I was desperately trying to find a way to make my morning latte. I began calling around to all of the Starbucks in the Seattle area, and if you're familiar with the Pacific Northwest, you know that there are a lot of them.

Nothing was open because of the widespread power outages, and I sulked about missing my pleasant morning routine. We're lucky that most of the time, that is all we have to deal with in the United States. Cut to nearly fifteen years later, and I spent a good part of a year living without electricity, and learning how to make life enjoyable without it.

If our power goes out now, I appreciate the time without all the electric devices and modern conveniences. It's nice to give your mind a break from all of it. If it's dark, all you need is a flashlight to read a book, and for conversation, you don't need any at all. A propane camp stove works great for boiling water to make instant coffee (used outside, of course).

I wonder sometimes, if it wouldn't do everyone a bit of good to turn off their power for a day and learn to live more simply.

Those experiencing power outages here, will likely have their services turned back on within a matter of days, and hopefully they were prepared to deal with it ahead of time, especially with the warnings given out over the last several days. Remember that we are fortunate that our hospitals have backup generators, and the necessary medical supplies to help those who become ill or injured.

In Tripoli, even their medical supplies are dwindling, and without enough water, it is likely that lives will be lost. A man named Swayze Ali, said that his water was cut off on August 20. Eight days ago. Yet, he is optimistic, and is said to represent many of the people in Tripoli.

Mr. Ali commented, "People want the water to run again, but we are prepared to wait a little longer for this - we can wait for anything now that Gaddafi is gone."

We should be grateful that the power outages here stem from a powerful storm, and not from one of the most heinous dictators in modern times. Instead of dwelling on what we don't have, remember to be thankful for what we do have, and take time to appreciate life without electricity, even if it's only for a short time.