The lights blinked as I heard a ting. With the blink, all the lights on the floor went off. The only light left was from the notebook computer screens on the desks. Nobody flinched or moved except the visitors. Around the room a few heads popped up; actions that signaled to everyone that this was new.
I realized later that I looked up even as my fingers kept typing, wondering how many guests were in the house. Power failures in Chennai are part of the daily fabric. If anything, they have become more frequent over the past decade. Even though they are common, I still find the initial moment of failure distracting. It feels as if something has gone wrong. In that feeling, nobody pays any attention. Life goes on as it was. No actions are taken.
Perhaps it is the reality that I had a dislike for sudden darkness and unexpected shadows. Daylight is supposed to be filled with light, not darkness. Even as I write this, I know that the problem is manmade. I am inside a building that creates a darkness that is not natural. The man made light blinks and disappears because man orchestrated energy fails. The link through the process is man. We did this to ourselves.
In a overdrive fashion, my mind does not stop there. Sadly, we do more harm than good at times, mostly to ourselves. When someone notes that “hostile accusers appear out of nowhere, they stand up and badger me,” (Psalm 35.11) the observation is not about wild animals or dangerous actions. It is about individuals doing harm to another individual. Operating in the shadows, bombs explode in a celebration of community, children are abused at the hands of neighbors, and pain goes by without anyone appearing to notice.
I looked up at the dark ceiling and resolved to do something. I may not be able to solve the problem. I know I can pay attention, take note and do what I can. I reached and turned the unneeded light off. Your action and mine matter.
