A power crisis grips Mindanao, leaving in its wake billions of losses daily. In Tandag, power goes out twice daily, at 11:00-1:00 PM and 4:00-6:00 PM. (In Tago, power also goes out twice daily, at 1:00-4:00 PM and 8:00-10:00 PM.) And if your office is like mine whose processes are computer-dependent, everything stops.
But there are positive sides to a power outage. At my office, we now have longer time to share stories about relationships, triumphs, setbacks, milestones and breakthroughs. At home, we now have longer time to share a meal, a laugh, a dream. And with evenings draped in black, we now go out of the house to appreciate the cool evening air, the pale moon, the sequined sky.
Suddenly we’re bonding with our neighbors, indulge in small talks, laugh at simple things and romanticize those good old days. Suddenly we relearn the cathartic effect of simple storytelling that no teleserye could ever hope to match. Suddenly we re-experience the breathless thrill of chasing a shooting star with a foolish wish. Suddenly children realize the “inter-activeness” of pinoy games like kuding-kudingan, ik-ikan, tago tagu-an, and ibo. Suddenly it doesn’t matter anymore if we miss an episode of American Idol.
Thanks to brown outs, we realize we haven’t lost the creativity in making gadgets that don’t need sockets and batteries to work. Thanks to brown outs, we're back to making gas lamps that use an escosia Violin or Guitar as wick. Thanks to brown outs, we realize the beauty of simplicity, of reducing things to basic.
Sometimes it takes a power crisis to see things in a new light. Or in this case, old light. And so delight in it while it lasts.
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