The Joys of Candlelight and No Electricity.

Originally posted by SolarE-SouljahI am definitely not completely denouncing electricity; I just don't like the idea of a house being charged up with the manmade electrical energy of an HD TV, lights, computers... etc

I think just the basics would be good. But in this day and age, many things emit all kinds of stuff.

-Sol

Through a convoluted set of circumstances, I spent one of my formative teenage years in an isolated, decrepit old house that was so far off the grid the electricity companies wouldn't touch us with a bargepole. It was like living in a Charles Dickens book. We used to traipse around with candelabras and it was probably as near as you could get to living the life of a pauper in the time before electricity.

An old log-fired slow cooker served as the main power source for the place. It was the only way we could cook food and heat water. We were totally reliant on it - in much the same way as we rely on electricity today. Instead of being exposed to harmful electricity waves, the house was constantly permeated by smoke so I imagine that we've only swapped one devil for another.

It was a positive experience all-in-all. The only thing you truly miss is the humble washing machine. You soon learn that even the most basic of amusements can keep you engaged for hours on end if your choice is limited. Nowadays, our entertainment comes at us so thick and fast that we are unable to appreciate it... like being at a fabulous banquet when you have had your fill and you are just picking at food for the sake of it.