BLACKOUT
12.30pm today. My whole country blacked out. No power, no internet.
At first I thought my power went out.
10min in, we realized the whole building had the same issue.
15min in, we walked out to a street full of neighbors with the same problem.
Maybe it’s local? Our Town?
No electricity, no TV, no wifi, no data, no news.
Car radio! I thought. I turned it on, and bam! It was country wide.
A whole country blacked out. Something to do with issues connecting to the European Power Grid.
It’s only a surprise for our Western privileged minds. Many countries experience this oftenly. They are used to crisis, and operate extremely well under these circumstances. I’ve experienced it on the road, in Beirut, Bangui, Caracas…
How good are you in a crisis?
We rely completely on our systems. Digital, but also political, financial. We sacrifice our time and effort for a digital soft currency that builds up in a bank. An account you check weekly. But what if, one day you checked and its all gone?
Who will you complain to?
Who will come to your aid?
Will all that saving be worth it?
I don’t mean to sound like a wild conspiracionist, but rather, point out the need to constantly reassess our life. How dependent we are if a black swan comes, How many skills we have, how much we learn, how ready we are. To prepare us for the best, but also the worst.
Later today, standing in line in the supermarket, I heard the most mediocre comments. Many people panicking. Expecting the government to save them. No security cash at home. No stocked food.
I’m not saying an Expedition to Afghanistan will directly prepare you for this, but in a way, it gives you perspective, makes you more resilient to changes and prepares you to act faster and solve problems.
Confidence in your abilities. Confidence doesn’t come from shouting affirmations every morning, but from stacking proof of your success stories.
Don’t compare yourself (most people are mediocre), do more than its expected, have a constant hunger for learning, and get out of your comfort zone at every chance you get.
INVEST in experiences. Invest in yourself. Travel.
For whatever may come.
And if it is truly the apocalypse that’s before us one day, hell, at least you’ve lived a little.