Today I am writing an "EMERGENCY" blog.
I woke up to my daily morning routine- using the bathroom, washing my face, brushing my teeth. I tried to flush the toilet- no response. I tried to wash my hands, no water flew from the faucet, consequently I could not brush my teeth or wash my face.
I was certainly not entertained by the idea. In fact, it was too strange and foreign an idea. I live in a condo building and generally water maintenance or repairs are pre-announced at least a week in advance.
However, emergencies cannot be prepared for in advance. The main water pipe broke and the main floor inside and outside the building was flooded overnight. The City of Mississauga shut off water supply to our building. There is no guarantee that water will be running again by the end of the day. However, I do like to point out that IMMEDIATE action was taken to repair the damage (thankfully).
I could not help but compare my building main water pipe breaking, to the village outside of Kisumu, whose water pipe was also broken. Mine will most likely be fixed within a day, theirs has been broken for longer than it should be.
Being put to test as I was this morning certainly made the impact on how I empathise now with the dilemma of lacking access to water. In the process of flooding, my mind was also flooded with questions that resurfaced:
How dependent are we on water for our everyday needs? How long can WE (here) survive without water running for a day? What action does our government take to resolve our water shortage? What actions do we take to fix the problem or what options do we have available to compensate for the shortage in tap water? Why are we so priviledged, and cannot imagine our lives lasting without water supply for longer than a day, when others are living in this particular scenario for years? Day after day after day...
I wonder how much clean water was wasted in the process of the flooding? How many people could have made better use of it in places where clean water is a rare luxury?
What's your input on this? Have you been in such a situation? Can we only empathise with the issue better when we experience it first hand? I would really like to hear your thoughts...
Hi Dona,
ReplyDeleteInteresting Emergency post! Very thoughtful.
In answer to your question, I suppose I am skeptical of the idea that similar experiences can lead to real understanding of drastically different circumstances. Emergencies like these (happened to me last month!) exist as blips in the otherwise seamless fabric of infrastructural deliverance in Canadian cities (for those who can afford housing, of course). We live with the expectation that things will be repaired, and I think that this state of mind is difficult to imagine ourselves out of.
However, I think that like your post demonstrates, fractures in the system, such as being without water unexpectedly, can trigger all kinds of important questions and can perhaps make visible-as you did-the fact of privilege.
best,
d
I will rate this post a :) + :( - :s = thought provoking
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how dependent we are as a culture on water and how this issue can elicit varying personal responses. To me it raises questions of how dependent we are on water and to what degree we use it efficiently? Without experiencing water scarcity, is it possible to analyze this crisis effectively? I think experiences like yours would help one reflect on their daily uses of water - therefore think of it as a positive experience.
It would be interesting to isolate a group of Canadians and provide them with only the necessary amount of water to survive for a couple of days. This would definitely provide a closer reflection of how “others” around the globe live. It may also demonstrate that by losing certain amenities, one could live a much more satisfying life – cherishing the resources they have.
Think about it..........
Josh
Dana, in response to your comment, and to reinforrce your point- water is now running again. This means that it certainly was a simple blip in an average Canadian's day. Residents of the building were assured that action was being taken, and plumbers immediately were on the scene. To prevent suffering from water shortage from ONE day, many went to the nearby grocery store and purchased bottled water (as my family did). And by tomorrow morning, everyone will forget this even happened.
ReplyDeleteExperiencing first-hand may not always be the most sustainable way to empathize with a dilemma. Humans tend to have a very short-term (and selective) memory!
Josh, thank you for your post!
We tend to think of a situation like this one as "positive" simply because we know that it will pass within a few hours or a day at most. Our recognition of this allows us to not take it too seriously. Yet, if we were told this is how we will have to live for a week, a month, a year, or for the rest of our lives, then we won't necessarily look at it so positively.
We need to figure out how to appreciate our resources and use them efficiently even BEFORE such a crisis is to occur. But HOW?
Dona:
ReplyDeleteyou got me to skip ahead in my methodical reading. The second mention of an "emergency" blog made me act.
So you were being an activist, right? Will I react the same way the next time you call wolf. Likely not.
I see some parallels/throw-backs to our initial discussion, and subsequent threads.
See how easy it is to be a "journalist"!
Good initiative! Well done.
I've always felt that one doesn't have to be poor to help the poor. In fact, it frequently helps to be rich when you want to help the poor. I don't think we have to experience interruptions in water supply in order to contribute meaningfully to solutions. Furthermore, I don't think that having to go to the store for unlimited clean water at an easily affordable price on our way to campus where we can shower for free with potable water really counts as experiencing the problem.
ReplyDeleteI know you weren't claiming to be a victim on the same scale as anyone in the underdeveloped world, and I think your post raises an interesting point. Unreliable water delivery is a big problem. An empirical paper by (I think) Boland and Whittington showed that even in poor areas of Kathmandu, people were willing to pay as much as 4 times (6.00 USD vs. 1.50USD) for improved quality, reliability, and transparent billing of water supply.
Hi Dona
ReplyDeleteI think that you pointed out nicely that emergencies are relative, and to us, that represents a small emergency (even though to the majority of the world it is not). I think that events that help us realize how privileged and fortunate we are to have safe and reliable drinking water are great moments to share.
All the best,
Hilary
Hi Dona,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post. I think that empathy is a tremendous force for changing peoples' attitudes and behaviours. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you all for sharing your opinions. It is interesting to read the variety in perspectives presented.
ReplyDeleteAlex, I do apologize for the informal or journalistic style of writing (this was intended as a "side" blog and does not encompass our bi-weekly requirement). I suppose I did attempt on my part to be an activist, although, this blog does not do justice to mobilizing activism around the issue, or even taking action for that matter.
The main point that I intended to drive home is the difference in perceptions when it comes to emergencies, as Hilary captured well in her comment.
What constitutes a (water) emergency for us is incomparable with what constitutes an emergency for others. I hoped this exaggeration by calling it an "emergency", would help depict the irony of the situation.
Consequently, I tried to capture a moment in our regular daily lives that puts us to test and makes us rethink our priorities, and share a connection, even if for a brief moment, with those who are experiencing wthe situation on a regular basis.
no apology needed. I was just throwing out the point about how easy it is to get someone to react with a "headline".
ReplyDelete