A Conditioned Environment

I recently made a trip out west.  Specifically, I went to Texas and Nevada...in June.  Why don't business trips get planned according to season?  Why do I end up in New York in January and Fort Lauderdale in July? 

The heat wasn't bad though.  No, I don't mean because it was a "dry heat".  106 degrees is hot whether it's wet or dry.  No, it wasn't bad because I went from one air conditioned building to another in the comfort of an air conditioned car.  To be honest, I hardly noticed the heat. 

But that got me to thinking of by gone centuries where people actually lived and worked in that heat without *gasp* conditioned air.  They lived, and they thrived.  One evening I was in a desert area and the wind was blowing hard.  It was a cool wind, almost too cool.  I think the generations that past must have really loved that wind.  They probably lived to feel a cool wind in their face.

Yet in that heat of yesteryear I wonder how many of those settlers worked indoors.  There had to be some of course, but my guess is that they worked outdoors as much as possible.  Although a roof would provide welcome shade the four walls would prevent air flow and possibly create a stifling environment.  This is conjecture on my part.

But my point is this;  modern industry can only be what it is today because because of our complex energy grid.  Think about it this way.  Would Las Vegas be the mecca it is today if tourists came from far and wide to play games in an enclosed building without air conditioning?  Would they come to see shows in the daytime because without electricity you can't see the dancers?  In reality we only have a thriving office culture world wide because of energy. 

And because of that cultural shift we have lost many practical skills of our forefathers.

I'm so thankful for electricity.  I really am.  I'm thankful for computers, lights, power tools, and air conditioning.  I'm thankful because I know what a benefit they are.  I'm thankful because I recognize that they are luxuries and not a God given right.  And I can only be thankful because I've camped in a tent in sweltering humidity and almost freezing temperatures.  I've spent time butchering livestock and chopping wood.  I've hunted and fished and eaten fresh bass for breakfast.  I've done these things because I enjoy them.  And because of these things I start to realize just how good I've got it.

Spend some time with your kids teaching them these lessons.  Don't keep them inside all day when it's really hot outside.  Turn off the lights one day and purpose not to use them...even in the evening.  take them to a farmers market or a working farm.  Teach them about what life is really like.  They will learn that they've got it good...at least for now.