Modern life unbelievably luxurious

By Scott T. Holland

September 06, 2006 10:31 am

— There was a letter than ran in Saturday’s newspaper lamenting the condition of Clinton’s schools that do not have air conditioning throughout the entire building.
While making a valid point about the disparity of some schools that have A/C while others lack — if the buildings are on the same schedule there’s no way that’s equitable — the letter writer got caught up in words that may have subtracted from her case.
Perhaps it was an unintentional use of a strong adjective, but the sentence that made me chuckle with disbelief read like this: “I have grandchildren in Bluff and Whittier schools and it is unfair and in-human for any of us to ask the students to learn and teachers to teach children in the medieval conditions they are asked to endure.”
Like I said, she went on to make a solid argument. But still — medieval? Last I checked, Bluff and Whitter had plenty of running water, flush toilets and — what’s that thing called? — electricity. By most accounts, the medieval era in Europe ended in the 15th century at the advent of the Renaissance, when even the richest of kings still relieved themselves in buckets in the corner of their bedroom and had to carry candles to see past the end of their noses after the sun set.
I know I’ve made this point before, but sometimes it amazes me how much easier my daily life is than, say, President Lincoln, who had to take horses and trains everywhere he wanted to go, or President Hoover, who had to rely on radio reports and (gasp!) newspapers to see what else was going on across the country, or President Carter, even, who did not have the luxury of being simultaneously eviscerated and glorified, depending on which 24/7 cable “news” network you follow.
The conveniences of modern life often grab my attention when they cease to function. Last summer it was the air conditioning at home and the office. This week it was our home hot water heater, which appeared to be leaking a bit Monday afternoon and by 4 a.m. Tuesday was giving our sump pump the workout of its life.
Many other homeowners have walked this same road. We never stopped to think about the convenience of having hot water whenever we wanted it — in the kitchen, shower or laundry machine — until the moment said hot water was all over the basement floor causing our cats to either seek higher ground or hide under the sofa (one of ‘em ain’t too bright). Then, when we see the bill for restoring that service, well, we realize convenience has a price.
Still, when I left for work at 4:15 a.m. Tuesday, my hot water heater was in real bad shape. When I came home 13 hours later, there was a new one in place, the basement floor was almost totally dry and all I had to do was worry about how to pay for it. Every day President Lincoln came home from work he didn’t have near the convenience I experienced Tuesday.
Sure, he probably didn’t have to grill his own hamburgers, but I’ve never had to kill my own cow or butcher my own side of beef. And yeah, he lived at the White House, but I have satellite TV. He ran a good half of our country, but I can call my mom on my cell phone from pretty much anywhere in the Union. The only thing he’s got me on is that he was never around to be disappointed by the Cubs, while they continue to rip away at my baseball fan soul.
Forgive me for rambling. A man’s mind tends to wander when he’s working a 13-hour day and wondering just exactly what is happening in his basement and why a day can’t go by without some Cub facing a season-ending injury. Now we have our hot water, this wretched baseball season is almost finished and I don’t have near as much stuff to do at the office today.
Just promise me that next time you take a hot shower or call a loved one or Google something on the Internet, you appreciate the wonders of modern life, and also that a good deal of the world’s population soldiers on each day without a fraction of the luxuries we take for granted.
Scott T. Holland’s column appears every Wednesday in the Clinton Herald. His e-mail address is scottholland@clintonherald.com.

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