Electricity Fast Day 2

To read about what the Electricity Fast is and why I am doing it, please read my introductory entry.

So, the second day of the Electricity Fast rolled around. This time, I only accidentally turned on the lights twice! I spent a lot of my time in the library doing research for my thesis, and went on a really nice walk through town. I spent some time at a friend’s place watching a Bollywood flick with a group of friends (which, as I said, I don’t consider breaking the fast as long as it is not me consuming electricity that would not otherwise be consumed if I were not there). All in all, it was a great day.

But… My main challenge during day two was sticking to the fast. Once the sun went down it was all I could manage to keep from turning the lights on or to watch the television. I had the light of a few candles, which was more than enough to read or write, but my comfortable lifestyle, the enjoyment of thinks like light bulbs and television, reared its ugly head and caused a major challenge for me. The first day of the fast had the novelty to keep me going. But once that wore off by this week, it really became a challenge. I ended up cutting the fast short by an hour, which I regret. The challenge for next week will be sticking to my guns for the entire fast. As nights get shorter I will have to be more conscious of my addiction (for lack of a better term, yet appropriate) to electricity, and really challenge myself to get past the dependency on it.

Next fast day will be Friday, September 30th. So, until then, I'll spend some time thinking about the comfortable lifestyle many of us take for granted. I can't believe that just twenty-four hours proved too much this go round. Twenty-four hours. Why does just one day prove too much? How many of us, living in this comfortable lifestyle, dependent upon (and addicted to) electricity, would be able to transition into a less harmful lifestyle? No wonder there is an ecological crisis. Over the next week I will be thinking about my addiction to electricity, thinking about ways to combat that addiction and become less dependent on it. And what it might look like if we were less dependent upon electricity.

Until next time!