Boons of Deprivation

Only yesterday, I realized that this year too, I will have to stock on wheat flour and other essentials owing to the Energy, Food and Fuel (EEF) crisis in the UK. A quick google search revealed that it was not only the UK but various countries across the globe battling the energy crisis. The collapse of the Chinese energy sector will have rippling effects on the entire world like COVID-19. But hope this time we all are a little prepared after having learned the lessons last year.

India not far behind has only the last few days of coal reserve to serve the re-opening of the industrial sector well without price hikes and interruptions. The growing domestic demands on energy, just-in-time deliveries and consumerism will quickly bubble up, resulting in long queues everywhere. In the well-connected world, the shortage of one item balloons into a major economic crisis for developed countries. Unfortunately, the under-developed countries that rely on funds from so-called superpowers pay the price of such crises.

It feels like the world is sprinting from one crisis to another with no end of miseries to the general public. In the past, the frequency of such disasters was less and we got enough time to absorb the economic shocks and recover. However now, the faster we grow, the faster we fall behind and getting back to normal is a long and tedious process. All the major five-year reform plans, from the government, were put on hold to recover from Covid. We barely managed to recover from one crisis only to face another one, God knows how long this would continue.

Surprisingly it seems money is not the issue like in the past, all the major stock markets are on rooftops. The prices of all the basic commodities like petrol, food, housing are sky-high. And yet, there is a growing demand like never before. These might be due to the mobilization of funds from the other equally significant but neglected sections to mitigate the survival risk. I pray in another five years' time, we should not be facing another catastrophe due to the current just-in-time measures. I wish all the governments and policymakers keep that in mind.

It's not the crisis itself that surprised me but the number of social media campaigns and the tons of information available freely that blew me off. It is not that we have never dealt with issues like shortage of petrol/gas or food, but back in the pre-digital era, only a few newspapers would report it. Unlike now, millions post their reactions and agony, leading to mindless panic buys and needless stressful situations.

Coming from a small city, I found some of the reactions exaggerating and even hilarious at times. Decades ago, we faced regular droughts that were so common that we unknowingly learned to conserve and use water judiciously. Many of us would plan our daily activities based on the corporation water disposal timetable. Most homes had such a schedule posted on their walls (not Facebook) they could store water for days to come and not miss their turn. And in case if someone forgot or was away, their kind neighbors would happily do it for them, such was a camaraderie.

Electricity/energy generation and distribution was another challenge but never called a crisis. We all knew that there would be blackouts for three to fours hours if we were lucky or six to eight hours if we stayed somewhere remote. Most of the schools, offices and even housework would operate within the hours of allotted supply. Each person knew how to adjust and make the most of it. There would be occasional cries and strikes however people managed it well. Slowly the situation improved and this was a thing of the past but it did teach me how to adjust, not throw tantrums and make the best of the situation. A boon of deprivation of the things I take for granted now.

Someone once said the privilege of a civilized lifestyle is to get water when you open the tap and have electricity when you turn the switch on. I now think about what a civilized lifestyle is? One that taught us how to live well, overcoming challenges, or the one that made us lazy, ungrateful and ignorant of the privileges.