An Appreciation of Electricity (And Other Technological Innovations)

As you probably know, our universe has been around for more than three billion years.  While I’m able to think in terms of millions of people or millions of dollars, I admit that I have no real concept of what a billion is.  Let’s just say it’s a very long time, especially when compared to a single human lifespan.

As you also probably know, human beings have been around for several hundred thousand years. But it’s easy to forget that many tools we enjoy today have not always been available to us.

How about electricity?  Usable electricity is a relatively recent innovation, and one I think we should appreciate more than we do. From transportation to artificial lights to central heating and air conditioning, electricity is the common thread.  Can you imagine what life would be like without it?  And yet, electricity has only been available for use since the days of Thomas Edison (1847-1931).  He developed many devices for electric power generation, as well as mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures.

So where am I going with this?

I think we should appreciate the technological advantages of living in our world today. Human ingenuity and creativity have engineered so many conveniences that we now take for granted. For example, most of us enjoy watching television, and yet it only became a part of our culture during my lifetime. Before that people had to sit around the living room and talk to one another.  Horrors!  When my father was born (in 1914) radios were not in general use, there were no interstate highways, and people walked to their place of worship on Sundays or travelled in a horse-drawn buggy.

I have no idea what the future will bring, but I do believe that each of us should strongly appreciate the fact that today we seldom have to climb five stories of stairs (that’s what elevators are for) and we can drive home safely – at seventy miles an hour – even when it’s dark. I for one enjoy watching football on TV, and I love being able to take a hot shower every day.

And so, if you’re looking for something more to appreciate in your life, I hereby nominate Electricity!

Hip hip, hooray!

Alan