
Commentaries | Aug 18,2024
Jun 1 , 2019
By Tsion Fisseha
Working a nine-to-five job, on top of various volunteer work, has taken a toll. By the time I get home, all I can think about is saying a brief hello to my parents, having some dinner and going to bed.
But since the power outage hit the nation last month, I have had to change my routine. It has been for the best. I go home early and spend time chatting with my family about how their day went and what ia new.
This is one of the few perks of being forced to live with electricity outages. As incompetence, poverty and underdevelopment would have it, households go dark for at least eight hours every day. There was no nature disaster like a drought or tornado, but citizens have the bad luck to make do without power for a portion of every day. This is a far cry from technological developments in power generation and distribution over the centuries.
A quarter of a million years ago, human ancestors gained control of fire. This is a stage in history that is considered significant in human evolution. People used fire to cook and stay warm, much as people without access to electricity in rural and urban areas whose turn it is to have a power shutdown do now. People back then also used it to protect themselves from wild animals.
Over about a century ago, Thomas Edison invented the bulb, which could be used in homes and industries.
In the 21st century, electricity has proved to execute the same function of the pre-historic fire but better. It helps people cook meals no matter how simple or how fancy. It keeps people warm, cozy and comfortable.
Despite being one of the earliest countries in Africa to aquire electricity as early as the late 19th century, Ethiopia has lagged far behind, and the current electricity rationing is just one example.
The populations of countries such as Ethiopia make up the 1.1 billion people across the world that still lack any access to electricity. Of course, this is a number that does not include people in areas that do not get consistent electricity, which is the majority of Ethiopians at the moment.
The power outage, as expected, has caused agitation and frustration among citizens. To say that households and businesses are being inconvenienced would be to understate the loss in time, money and productivity people are experiencing every day.
Sometimes, however, even the most disastrous events can lead to unexpected outcomes. The power shortage, no matter how unappealing it is, has brought the whole nation together through many different jokes and memes shared on various social media platforms.
This incident has shown us that despite the darkness, our willingness to hope for the better and laugh about it until it changes will carry us through the pain that we are forced to face.
Electricity has given the world a better way of living. Together with technological advances in other sectors, people have become more independent and individualistic. These two concepts obviously have their perks but they also have shortcomings.
The recent turn of events has stimulated the social animal in us. Having experienced the power outage, one cannot help but wonder about the metaphor it carries.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that,” Martin Luther King Jr. said.
Perhaps, the best way to deal with the inconvenience of the power outages is to see that the glass is half-full and the barrier to talking with one another has been removed.
PUBLISHED ON
Jun 01,2019 [ VOL
20 , NO
996]
Commentaries | Aug 18,2024
View From Arada | Jun 19,2021
Life Matters | May 31,2020
Fortune News | Sep 23,2023
Fortune News | Sep 10,2023
Fortune News | May 23,2020
Sunday with Eden | Jun 22,2024
Agenda | Apr 15,2023
Fortune News | Aug 25,2024
Radar | Sep 27,2025
Photo Gallery | 171351 Views | May 06,2019
Photo Gallery | 161593 Views | Apr 26,2019
Photo Gallery | 151302 Views | Oct 06,2021
My Opinion | 136288 Views | Aug 14,2021
Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...
Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...
Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...
Oct 4 , 2025
Eyob Tekalegn (PhD) had been in the Governor's chair for only weeks when, on Septembe...
Sep 27 , 2025
Four years into an experiment with “shock therapy” in education, the national moo...
Sep 20 , 2025
Getachew Reda's return to the national stage was always going to stir attention. Once...
Sep 13 , 2025
At its launch in Nairobi two years ago, the Africa Climate Summit was billed as the f...
Oct 5 , 2025 . By NAHOM AYELE
In Meqelle, a name long associated with industrial grit and regional pride is undergo...
Oct 5 , 2025 . By BEZAWIT HULUAGER
The federal government is set to roll out a new "motor vehicle circulation tax" in th...
Oct 5 , 2025 . By NAHOM AYELE
The Bank of Abyssinia is wrestling with the loss of a prime plot of land once leased...
Oct 5 , 2025 . By BEZAWIT HULUAGER
The Customs Commission has introduced new tariffs on a wide range of imported goods i...