What Would Happen If We Went "Off The Grid?"

A post on my personal facebook page prompted an interesting discussion. What would happen if the world went "off the grid." Would it be like the popular NBC show, "Revolution?" Where would the road take us if we lost electricity and technology? Americans would surely have to make adjustments, but would we be totally at a loss? Would people turn on one another? Would The United States become a nation of thieves and murderers? Would the government fall? Would we lose all laws and law enforcement?

First of all, I'd like to preface this by saying that many of those who most believe that this would be a catastrophic event that would cause lawlessness and the collapse of the government believe that people are generally evil and greedy with their own self-interest in mind. I don't subscribe to this perspective, and I believe that this would not be as bad as people would have us believe it would be. 

For one thing, the world has had government, laws, law enforcement, etc. long before electricity and current technology. World governments most likely have some protocol for it filed away somewhere. They have protocol for just about everything. I wouldn't be shocked to find that they have manuals on proper nose-picking and butt scratching. 

Things would definitely change, but there would still be stores from which to buy food. Even though things would slow down and revert to processes used before electricity, there would still be producers and consumers. There would still be newspapers. They would have to go back to the printing presses of old, but we would still have our news. Some people who hunt and fish now, would continue to do so. We would have to change how we contacted law enforcement, but they would still be there. Why would any of these things change? Confusion might reign for a while, until things were adjusted, but there's really no reason why things wouldn't continue as they were prior to technology. 

As for the nature of people, I hear people complain all the time about how rotten other people are. Frankly, if that were true, why do we have so many profitable charities? Why do we have so many people starting, running, and volunteering for charities? Why are there so many stories about people helping one another? It may not be all over the world. It may not be in every neighborhood,. It may not be in every family. It is there, though. Peel back the layers of cynicism from your eyes, and perhaps you can see that there's a balance of good and bad. Some days the balance tips, but for the most part, there seem to be equal parts inspiration and devastation. 

Here are some stories from around the web of people going above and beyond:

This one is about a kidnapped woman rescued by her family.

This story is about a teen that rescued a kidnapped girl.

Here, a neighbor rescued a 91 year old veteran from a fire.

A pizza delivery driver rescued a kidnap victim.

Philippine communities around the globe come together to help typhoon victims.

Even in senseless tragedy, heroes emerged from Newton, Sandy Hook, Aurora, Boston Marathon, etc. 

Even celebrities can be heroes.

And few can forget how we all came together after 9/11.

There may be horrible, senseless tragedy in the world, but there are lights in the darkness. In my eyes there's a balance. I believe in the heart of human nature, not the dark shadow. If ever there is a time when we go off the grid, I believe that we will not be lost in darkness.