CAMERON COLUMN: Silly things don't matter

Maybe those Redoubters safe in their rural retreats have the right idea.

You know, stock up on everything you need for a couple of years, provide your own power, be self-sufficient, live off the grid.

The other possibility is that the rest of us are pretty damn soft.

OK, to be fair I can only speak for myself — but I have a hunch that a lot of everyday folk fall into the same category.

We howl about the smallest things.

In my case, the “crisis” was the failure of a water heater. I had no hot water for a day and a half, endured a 30-second shower while screaming like a child, and generally felt like I’d been cut off from civilization.

Eventually, I learned that the little red button inside the water heater’s control panel actually re-started the top coil — meaning that until the entire thing is fixed, I have half a water heater.

And that’s turned out to be plenty, for showers, for running the washer and whatever else I need.

THINKING about my initial reaction now, I’m a little embarrassed.

I mean, a day and a half with no hot water.

Where exactly does that fit in the great cosmic scheme of things? The answer is that it doesn’t even register.

Does anyone else care about my water heater?

No, and they don’t care about yours, either.

Nor should they.

Everyone talks about how we’ve become slaves to technology, and how we can’t possibly manage without our computers, tablets, smartphones and all of that stuff.

In truth, we’re slaves to ALL modern conveniences.

We’re stuck if the electricity goes off because a truck hit a pole and knocked down a power line. A whole night without power feels like the end of the world.

We light candles, put batteries in flashlights and wonder how we’re ever going to manage our regular lives.

Heck, we scream if we’re watching TV and the internet connection is lost.

Get somebody on the phone. Get this thing fixed before the second half of the football game.

HERE’S a little secret: There are millions of people on this planet who have no electricity at all.

They wouldn’t fret like I did about losing the use of a water heater — because they’ve never even seen one.

In fact, there are millions who would settle for clean drinking water and just a bit of food.

And that’s why I felt so stupid about having to do with cold water for barely more than a day, and then whining about it.

In fact, maybe I ought to ignore the little red button and make do with cold water for a week or a month, just to feel the tiniest bit like all those people who would love to have all the amenities that most of us take for granted.

A few cold showers would be a good reminder of the gifts we enjoy — simply because of when and where we were born.

Let’s call it an apology for ever complaining in the first place.

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Steve Cameron is a special assignment reporter for The Press. Reach Steve at [email protected].