POV: In this post, for the Hive Naija Topic Prompt, I am to imagine that the world experienced a sudden blackout and I couldn't use all the technology we are enjoying today. What would I do to earn a living and have fun without today's technology?.
Oh no! Now all the lights have gone out and nothing electronic is functional in any way. No more cellular phones, computers, television or anything that requires electricity at all. This is definitely going to take some getting used to in the process. Well, this means that in order to survive, I might have to go back to the Stone Age and live like our fore fathers did about 100 years ago.
If I need money, I assume I would attempt to get a job on a farm.
Although I might not be very experienced, but I am in good health and have a strong body and I believe that I would be able to learn how to cultivate plants and raise livestock.
Again, It would be a challenging task but crucial with no more supermarket or eating joints. I would listen more and try my best to become a good farmer or at least a better one than the ones I have seen. If I was unable to seek employment in a farm, the next best thing would be to seek any other employment work in areas such as construction, towing goods in a wagon, or cutting timber. This indicates that to have free time during the day, one would be required to work from morning till evening; however, people could go out for walks, read books with oil lamps or sing with neighbors.
If I were to engage in entertainment without the use of technology, I would go out and enjoy nature and also I could play non-electric musical instruments and also be more imaginative. I could go hiking, swimming, fishing, camping and see all the various plants and animals that are present in the environment. I could have card games or board games, or teams in different sports, and participate without any kind of scoreboards. People would again start reading a lot with libraries which were filled with books to engross one’s self with. I might attempt in telling stories in form of prose or poetry, writing in my diary, or even writing a journal at night using a pen and paper, accompanied by candle light.
Communication and receiving news, as well as keeping in touch with the distant relatives, would be extremely difficult without phones and internet or mass media. I would have to wait anxiously for the postman to bring letters or wait for people travelling to other areas to bring news. Sometimes I would feel isolated and then get back to focusing on my family and friends that are right there with me.
Sanitation would also still be a major problem as there would be no formal healthcare, no antibiotics, no hospitals. In illnesses or in cases of childbirth, the populace would seek treatment from healers and midwives mostly. As much as it is hard to imagine, almost every aspect of the life would prove to be tiresome.
But absence of proper technology may also ensure better personal interaction and relations with the neighbors. People would have to work together, be connected, and engage themselves within a community of neighbors. People would take time to grow and get acquainted with each other, this means that things would be slowly as opposed to the current fast rate.
There is a possibility that youngsters might stand stronger and not require as many labor-saving inventions. Living could get back to basics and hence the need for people to embrace this way of life.
The things that I am grateful for every day include various scientifically created comforts and inventions. Yet this free mental rehearsal of living in a world stripped of all the comforts of our overlaid technological conveniences made me realize that mankind has the capacity to live and prosper in a far less complicated environment if only society is properly coordinated. It is crucial for people to understand that our ancestors were inventing and were quite relentless.
Perhaps I will find the same virtues within myself to achieve a simple living and embrace family, faith, and companionship amidst the modern-day adversities that continually arise.