One of the things that has surprised me in Finland over the last almost 20 years, is how stable the electricity supply is. In all the time I have been here, I think I can count on one hand the number of times where I have lived, has lost power, and this is across multiple regions. It makes sense of course, because losing power when it is -25C is deadly, especially since many homes no longer have fireplaces and pretty much no apartment buildings. Even with decent insulation and triple-glazed windows, the temperature can drop very fast without heating.
But this stability in power supply isn't available everywhere and it is interesting to note that in regions of Australia, they have been struggling to maintain supply and have been asking people to limit their electricity usage, by turning off appliances and PCs whilst not in use. It is quite a dilemma.
I guess that with the rising price for electricity, people don't mind turning off appliances that much, unless it makes them uncomfortable. I saw a story where someone was covering their walls and windows with cardboard boxes to save on heating costs. Very practical.
I was talking with a friend about a few things today and something came up about depression based on conditions and the point of "giving up" and choosing to check oneself out. After years of fear-induced stress caused by lockdowns, isolations, loss of income, freedoms, all supplemented by media hype to drive social stress, it is now straight into a massive economic disruption, amplified by the response to that hype and panic. It is stress on top of stress without respite, where the most financially vulnerable are now less capable of dealing with economic volatility, and are now forced to make even tougher life decisions.
Something has to break.
Hard times generally increase resiliency in populations, but I think that there is a survivor bias involved, so while resiliency increases, there is a lot of failure along the way. I also think that there will be somewhat of a lag effect due to the isolation and disconnection, where the true cost and conditions won't be known, as we have become largely insulated, despite having access to the information. Sure, Google might "know all" but it is only known by individuals if they search for it.
Currently, I sense a growing darkness in the air, and it isn't caused by the prospect of electricity failures. It feels more like there is impending dread where people have realized that they are not only not ready for what is to come financially, they also feel that they don't have the energy to make it through, even if they were.
There is a tiredness in people's voices and demeanor that I speak to, a kind of greyness and resignation, where despite things opening up and having their "freedoms" back, they seem listless and a bit rudderless. It feels like the anticipation before the best New Year party ever, only to it not come close to meeting expectations and, there is nothing on the horizon to co, other than a job that doesn't pay enough to cover the basics, let alone for a little fun.
But, it is also in these times that "heroes" are made, meaning that it is in the downturns that the work is done that reaps the rewards in the upturns. We have seen this over and again in crypto, where it is the projects that diligently keep building that pull out the other side, scarred, but ready to run. And it is the same for many people, who rather than shrink into their shell, keep grinding away, driving themselves forward through the mud and rain, looking to the horizon for a break in the clouds.
This evening, a peal of thunder sounded overhead and my daughter was scared by it, even though she knows what it is and what causes it. There is that shock of electricity, the heat, the hole in the air created and then - the air rushing in to fill the void and return balance.
During these difficult periods, voids are created and even if pushed out to the furthest edge of personal limits, for those who survive, there will be opportunities to come.
But on that edge, there will also be times of darkness.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
