WE LOOK forward to the weekend so we can finally relax and unwind, maybe do some laundry and cleaning, or catch up on some work backlogs so Monday won’t be panic day.
Then IT gets posted. The schedule of power interruptions. If you’re lucky, your area would have been hit for only a day. If you’re the unluckiest, you get no electricity for most of the weekend.
Moans. Curses. Actual and online rants and raves. Despite the reality that repairs and maintenance work have to be done, we still complain. The electric company’s hotline has to be unplugged because it’s burning from the never-ending calls.
Psychology’s Pain Avoidance and Pleasure Principle state that people would instinctively do everything to avoid discomfort and would always seek what is most pleasurable.
It’s a pleasure for us to find comforts in our current lifestyle like using gadgets all day to access information and reliable appliances to work for our convenience.
When these pleasure-seeking activities suddenly gets unplugged, we experience sense of withdrawal that can drive us utterly mad (hence all the ranting and raving).
But brownouts can wake us up.
When Wi-Fi dies people start blinking and realize there is a real world!
Board games come out of their dusty little shelves and laughter erupts from a game where actual people face each other in a match of wits.
Books get read.
Conversations that have been long-time coming can happen.
Lenten sacrifice becomes natural as we don’t only fast from our favorite food or drink, we are given the chance to practice loving patience, tolerance for discomfort, and reflection.
Evenings become more romantic and magical as candles light up, casting a golden glow and the shadows strategically hide imperfections that you’re normally insecure about.
Brownouts can also test our survival skills.
Remember your favorite zombie or apocalyptic movies and TV series? You’ve always identified the survivors, right? With their cool swagger and rational thinking in the midst of catastrophe.
Have you ever wondered how would you fare when a day of power interruption makes you feel like your life has ended? Well, you can test your post-apocalyptic skills by turning the brownout days into one heck of a game for all to enjoy. Winner gets an extra hour on the internet when power comes back!
Brownouts, blackouts, power interruptions, or power outages – whatever name they take, one thing remains true: They are beyond our control as consumers.
We can choose to think negatively about them, complain, act out, and make worse but have faith that the professionals we’ve entrusted to take care of our electricity supply are doing their utmost best.
Look for blessings in brownouts.