Dhriti Maharatna 10 - Power
If power were a person, it would be the most dominant force in our lives—the one we can’t live without, the one that controls everything yet rarely gets acknowledged. Electricity doesn’t just support modern life; it is modern life. It’s in the walls of our homes, the batteries in our pockets, the invisible current running through everything we do. And like any force that holds power, it dictates the terms of our existence without ever needing to announce itself.
Our relationship with electricity is one of complete dependence. We wake up to alarms powered by it, cook breakfast with it, drive cars charged by it, and work in buildings lit by it. It connects us to the world, stores our memories, and entertains us when we’re bored. But for all that it gives, it also can take everything away in an instant. One power outage, and suddenly, the world feels frozen in time—silent, uncertain, vulnerable. That’s the kind of grip electricity has over us.
Like any dominant force, electricity doesn’t need to demand respect; it already has it. We don’t negotiate with it or set boundaries—it controls us, not the other way around. We plan our days around its availability, panic when it disappears, and scramble to restore it as quickly as possible. Our devices go dark, our homes lose warmth, and our routines fall apart. Electricity doesn’t just power technology; it powers us, dictating how we function and thrive.
And yet, for something that holds this much control, we rarely stop to think about it. We plug in, switch on, and move forward, assuming it will always be there. But dependency is a dangerous thing, especially when we give power—both literally and figuratively—to something we can’t survive without. Because at the end of the day, electricity isn’t just a tool. It’s the most dominant force in our lives, and we are completely under its command.
Hi Dhriti! I enjoyed reading your blog, as it really made me reflect on how much we are reliant on electricity. Your words about how "one power outage" would cause the "world [to feel] frozen in time—silent, uncertain, vulnerable," really stood out to me, as I found it quite interesting how something so essential like electricity often is unnoticed until its gone due to the fact that we are so accustomed to its presence. I loved how you highlighted our blind dependency on electricity, from the smallest daily tasks, like "wak[ing] up to alarms powered by it," to the larger structure of society, such as powering the lights in every building. I also found it fascinating when you connected to how "dependency is a dangerous thing," marking it as a "dominant force" in our lives that we have little control over. I was completely intrigued reading about your blog and I look forward to reading more in the near future!
ReplyDeleteHi Dhriti! Your blog really made me think about how electricity is such an unseen power scene in our lives. I mean could you imagine living without electricity. First of all, I loved how you desire it as something that dedicates the terms of your existence without ever needing to announce itself which tells me how we don't realize the importance of electricity although we use it all the time. The way you captured our complete attention by starting from waking up to alarms to the panic of a power outage, was so compelling. I enjoyed reading your blog post. It was really provoking and engaging. I look forward to reading more of your work.
ReplyDeleteHi Dhriti! I think it's so ironic how despite electricity holds so much power in how we live as well as literally being the source of power for our livelihoods, yet gets almost no recognition for its importance. It has probably been taken for granted since the moment electricity was harnessed, despite the fact that it completely revolutionized society and the way we live life today. I love how you mentioned that it is pretty much essential in every aspect of what we do, leaving us powerless both literally and figuratively when it is gone. You mentioned that moments without power leave us so vulnerable, and that made me think back to the few times that my power at home has actually gone out. It so often led to the majority of my day being gone, as I would simply take a nap and hope that the power would be back when I woke up. Electricity had so much control over me that I didn't even feel like spending the limited time we have in our lives without electricity.
ReplyDeleteHi Dhriti! I was curious about your blog upon seeing the picture and your title simply being “Power.” After reading through it, I now see how your picture ties in with your topic in a comedic way. The power of electricity! I liked how smoothly you introduce your topic, by first pondering an important force in peoples’ lives and relating it to electricity. It really does dictate the existence of humans in recent years. A lot of our lives revolve around having electricity – a power source for so many things, such as light. Even now, I am using it in order to write this comment for you on my laptop, in my room with lights all around! Your comment on how much we depend on electricity is very true, and I loved the way you framed the idea of a power outage. A power outage is beyond electrical power escaping our grasps, but also our power to do much of anything at all. Just yesterday, although not exactly a power outage, my internet was cut out. I found myself in an uncomfortable position, unable to access my online homework or do anything on my phone. Your blog, relating to both the quarter theme and your title, was a very powerful read! It reflects on the reality of life today and how much more advanced technology has become. Even more so, the normalization of this technology. We are so used to it that we don’t stop to consider how incredible having all of this is, just a few hundred years ago, we lived entirely different lives. This was a very striking blog; thank you for sharing, Dhriti!
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