But each one of us is dependent on the other. Not one of us can survive without the faith and encouragement of our fellow human being. Man is a communal creature and without acceptance, tenderness and love, we languish, despairing of the darkness and storms that surround us.
Consider a sudden blackout in a major city. You are sitting at your kitchen table eating your boring spaghetti on the twenty-fifth floor of a tall building when POOF!, the lights go out. In the hallway, you hear the elevator clunk to a stop. "Oh rats," you say of the inconvenience, striking the fork against the chin. Indisputably the world is suddenly dark. Minutes click by. The hands of the luminous clock on the counter jump periodically to count the time. Twenty minutes elapse. Nothing happens. You heave a sigh. The stump of your old candle doesn't show much promise of getting longer or producing a sudden miracle like rubbing Aladdin's lamp. Already you have run short of memory games starting with alphabetically reciting boys' names. There's not much more for you to do but stump off to bed and sleep it off. Maybe the lights will come back on in an hour or two.
Maybe your neighbor has some extra candles to help you out. Doubtful, you settle back into the chair with a sigh. Remember grandpa and his hurricane lamp? Your grandpa was a country doctor who used a sleigh in winter. How intelligent he was. you kick yourselkf for relying on illusionary technology governed and manipulated by the unseen forces of the regulatory boards. But then where would a horse and sleigh fit in your apartment?
So there's naught much more to do but sleep it off. and hope that the ice-cream isn't melting and dripping into the salad in the refrigerator. "Oh what a bother."
"But what if?" There's a rap and muffled voice at the door. No doubt your neighbor coming to inquire whether you've any candles he can borrow. You hesitate, but finally rise to answer it.
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