A Taste of the Apocalypse
- Benjamin Fearon
- Jan 14, 2019
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 15, 2019
One year in 2013 there was an ice storm that hit the Greater Toronto Area, killing 27 and causing over one and half million power outages, my house being a victim of the power outages. I remember that day very clearly, we had just finished shoveling the ice and me and my brothers were playing makeshift basketball with a small ball and a plastic container. My dad had just told us that the power may go out, but stay calm. I think he jinxed us because ten minutes later my mom was lighting up all the candles trying to create enough light for us to see each other. We had no power, no WiFi, no warm food, no heating, no use of technology, no lights. Just a little bit of ice and we were back to being cavemen and women again.
In Station 11 their predicament was much more severe issue then a little power outage that only lasted a day, but as a kid I got a taste of what an apocalypse would feel like. In chapter 6 of Station 11 the author outlines the what was lost in because of the Georgian flu. Although the list in chapter 6 is much more extensive than the small list that created in the paragraph above that one day wasn’t an ideal circumstance. A difference that is obvious between the blackout and the apocalypse in Station 11 is that everything that I lost were things that are not vital to my survival, but in Station 11 people lost almost everything. Families were separated, no transportation, no cities and no function government. Their loss was innumerable whereas my loss was small and short.
One large similarity between the blackout and the Georgian flu is that the people involved get a new perspective for how much we have. For me loosing power had me thinking about something as simple as toast was gone. Having electricity seemed like such a given to me but it can be easily taken away. In Station 11 Kirsten says “survival is insufficient,” she yearns for the privileges that we experience everyday. And Clark creates the Museum of Civilization, which shows that he want to preserve the past, which means that he was reminiscing about the past just as I was in that one day.
My experience of an one day blackout gave a minuscule taste of what the characters in Station 11 felt like. Although a small time period the blackout took away many ‘necessities’ from me whereas in Station 11 the Georgian Flu took away much more from the characters. Also, this one day gave me time to reflect on the past and how privileged I am, this also gave characters such as Clark to reflect and to curate things from the past. In conclusion, the 2013 blackout gave me a little taste of the apocalypse.
Great connection between the ice storm in 2013 and Station Eleven! The ice storm is nothing in comparison to the pandemic that killed 99% of the world's population, but it allowed you to reflect on what you lost during that day with no electricity. It's sometimes good that we have things like this happen to us and other first world citizens. It allows us to think and realize that we are really privileged. We have these luxuries most of the time when there are people across the world who never or rarely has them.
Well done! I think something as small as having a power outage can sometimes make us realize how blessed we are to have what we have and remind us to not take it for granted. Although your situation must have been quite the thrill, it obviously doesn't compare to what the people in Station Eleven had to go through; watching their loved ones die, seeing civilization collapse under your feet, and not knowing if things could ever get better. Also, reading this made me think of how educational, fun, and exciting it would be to pretend that there's no electricity or anything anymore for a few days! (I guess that's how it feels to go camping so I should try…
Good connection between your ‘abandoned’ situation and Station Eleven. Even though your situation was not as severe was the Georgian Flu, you still felt a sense of loss. Moments like these seem like a nuisance but they really teach you a lesson and make you think: how could I survive without this? Unfortunately, many third-world countries experience this everyday when it comes to food supply and water. These so-called ‘necessities’ are not available and they must come up with the last-resort solutions. Here in Canada, we are given everything we need and perhaps, even an excess amount. This causes us to forget about the bigger picture as we are so focused on ourselves. The severity of an hour blackout in…
Great comparison to Station Eleven and 2013 ice storm. It may have not been as extreme as Station Eleven's catastrophe, however it was a taste of what survival would be like without essential needs feels like. Your power outage relates to when Clark took Kristen to see the lights that represented the first sign of hopes to a new civilization. It's scary to live a life where everything you once knew for survival that was provided for you, isn't anymore. A change in lifestyle is difficult and I always wonder how our society would react if all it's simple needs of survival were just gone. It gets you thinking that we appreciate the things we need for survival the least,…
Hey Ben, I thought the comparison of Station Eleven to the ice storm in 2013 was very accurate as the population of Toronto and the citizens of Station Eleven had to live the unknown. Like you said, the ice storm wasn’t close to anything Kirsten and the other survivors dealt with but they were similar in the way that everyone had to go back to simple living, just for survival. During the ice storm and Georgia Flu, we were taken from our “necessities” like wifi, something that isn’t needed and something we take for granted and rely on everyday. Great blog!