24 Hours

24 hours really isn't that long. Granted a lot can happen in 24 hours, you can sustain a lot of different conditions for a day. You can easily go without food for 24 hours (as the people who've done the 40 hour fast over Holy Week can attest, around 36 hours is the point where you get really hungry!). You can go 24 hours without water, though I'm not advocating that anyone try it. You can go 24 hours without bathing, without sleeping, without going outside, without buying anything, without talking. But could you go 24 hours without electricity?



As part of Global Justice Volunteers, we will probably be staying in some places that do not have electricity. The fact that many people live (quite well for that matter) without or with minimal electricity makes me wonder. I, for one, use a lot of electricity in a day. And as environmental friendly as I try to be, I also waste a lot (as do many people in developed countries).

So I'm having a bit of an experiment. Next weekend I am going to go 24 hours without electricity and I hope you'll try this experiment with me. I plan on going totally without electricity (at least to the very best of my ability), but I'd like to invite you to join me on whatever level you are at. Maybe for you doing without electricity means not turning on lights in your house during the daylight hours, not watching TV or listening to your ipod, not checking your email (or, perhaps, your facebook), walking to the grocery store instead of driving or washing your dished by hand instead of in the dish washer. Or maybe your a bit more ambitious and want to try to eat only food that can be prepared without electricity (so no refrigerator, toaster, oven, microwave, stove top), use no lights at all and using candles once it gets dark (which may actually be a fun adventure, you could sit around with your kids and tell ghost stories or maybe have a romantic dinner), only walk/bike/blade all day instead of cars or public transit, or not use the telephone/computer. The fact is, the typical American life is fueled by electricity. However while we often "need" the power to charge our MP3 players and watch television, people in other countries need electricity to power fans in cool an overcrowded school house or find some sort of transportation to access doctors. Unfortunately, these real needs are often unmet.

Once you start thinking about it, it can seem overwhelming, I know. But whatever "without electricity" means to you- I'd love to invite you to try it with me for 24 hours (or if that's too long, try 12) this upcoming weekend. I'd love to hear what your guy's experience is like, and what you think life would be like without readily available electricity, so feel free to post comments! Good luck this weekend and who knows, you may even enjoy it!