It takes some getting used to, to find the means living without the things that we are so accustomed to using in our everyday lives. We are so accustomed, in fact, that we take things for granted, and the question of “how can I live without this” never crosses our mind, or if it does, we go to our “happy place” and try drown out the mere thought of living without certain necessities.
For example, I have yet to take a hot shower since I have been in India. Now, don't be mistaken; I have enough respect for my fellow human being that showering everyday is a must for me to alleviate the suffering of those around me, especially those stuck in the same room as me (Kerala gets pretty hot, after all). But I miss having a warm shower. Now, for those of you who think that taking a cold shower is the absolutely most primitive action that can be done as far as bathing is concerned, imagine that you cannot even take a shower at all. “That's ok,” you might say, “At least I can take a bath in the bathtub.” Sorry, but no bathtub either. Recently the situation in my life, or rather my bathroom, is that I have lost running water. No water from the sink, no water flowing into the toilet, and certainly no water coming from the shower head. I get by the same way others get by here; I go outside, fill up a bucket, bring it back inside, and using a cup, pour water over myself, then scrub, rinse, repeat.
I am not completely without “luxuries,” or what most people in the US would call “necessities.” I have internet access, although it is rather limited, due to constant power outages, breakdowns of service, the conflicts with my daily schedule, etc. I have to plan ahead to use the internet, whereas in California I could get access whenever I wanted, 24 hours a day. I can use a washing machine, but sometimes the power goes out unexpectedly. I can watch television, but again the power is an issue. Water has to be boiled, filtered, or bought in a bottle in order for it to be safe to drink. Instead of a spoon and fork, I use an even more ancient and forgotten plate-to-mouth method of eating, older than even the chopstick: my hands.
It makes me wonder what would happen if a major incident occurred in the US, like the zombie apocalypse, the Browns winning the Superbowl, or Sarah Palin becoming president (HA! I kid, I kid!), where all the things we have depended on in our daily lives were suddenly gone. Would we actually, heaven forbid, meet people face to face rather than “friending” them on Facebook? Would we take better care of our local water resources since it won't pass through a water treatment facility? Instead of choosing to rot our brains by watching such movies as Eat Pray Love or the Twilight series, would we choose to rot our brains by reading those books instead? The experience in India has made me reflect on what I have taken for granted in the US, of the things that I considered absolutely necessary, the things that I thought civilization itself depended on, aren't really necessities after all. But they are really, really, REALLY nice to have.
For example, I have yet to take a hot shower since I have been in India. Now, don't be mistaken; I have enough respect for my fellow human being that showering everyday is a must for me to alleviate the suffering of those around me, especially those stuck in the same room as me (Kerala gets pretty hot, after all). But I miss having a warm shower. Now, for those of you who think that taking a cold shower is the absolutely most primitive action that can be done as far as bathing is concerned, imagine that you cannot even take a shower at all. “That's ok,” you might say, “At least I can take a bath in the bathtub.” Sorry, but no bathtub either. Recently the situation in my life, or rather my bathroom, is that I have lost running water. No water from the sink, no water flowing into the toilet, and certainly no water coming from the shower head. I get by the same way others get by here; I go outside, fill up a bucket, bring it back inside, and using a cup, pour water over myself, then scrub, rinse, repeat.
I am not completely without “luxuries,” or what most people in the US would call “necessities.” I have internet access, although it is rather limited, due to constant power outages, breakdowns of service, the conflicts with my daily schedule, etc. I have to plan ahead to use the internet, whereas in California I could get access whenever I wanted, 24 hours a day. I can use a washing machine, but sometimes the power goes out unexpectedly. I can watch television, but again the power is an issue. Water has to be boiled, filtered, or bought in a bottle in order for it to be safe to drink. Instead of a spoon and fork, I use an even more ancient and forgotten plate-to-mouth method of eating, older than even the chopstick: my hands.
It makes me wonder what would happen if a major incident occurred in the US, like the zombie apocalypse, the Browns winning the Superbowl, or Sarah Palin becoming president (HA! I kid, I kid!), where all the things we have depended on in our daily lives were suddenly gone. Would we actually, heaven forbid, meet people face to face rather than “friending” them on Facebook? Would we take better care of our local water resources since it won't pass through a water treatment facility? Instead of choosing to rot our brains by watching such movies as Eat Pray Love or the Twilight series, would we choose to rot our brains by reading those books instead? The experience in India has made me reflect on what I have taken for granted in the US, of the things that I considered absolutely necessary, the things that I thought civilization itself depended on, aren't really necessities after all. But they are really, really, REALLY nice to have.
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