While having lunch in a small café, I overheard a group of
friends chatting about the recent brown outs that is happening in our area
which is caused by heavy rain and strong winds. To be specific, they are talking
about the people who bash the electric cooperative in their social media page. They
are actually defending the cause of the EC that it is not their fault that
their poles and lines are toppled by the strong winds caused by the weather.
They also recognize our line man who is working every time an emergency power
interruption occurs.
Being an employee of an electric cooperative, I am honestly touched that
there are still people who appreciate our work to the point defending us from
negative bashers. I understand how important electricity these days because aside
from being an employee of an electric cooperative, I am also a consumer. This means
that whenever brown out and black out occurs, it is also inconvenient for me
and for my family. And so I understand their reactions because I am
experiencing it too. What I don’t understand is how people negatively reacts to
it, as if they cannot live a day without it. Maybe it is their right to
complain but sometimes their whines and grumbles are below the belt that they are wishing
for something bad to happen to the people working in the electric utility.
I realized that these people reacted that way because they
do not know what is happening whenever there is brown out. They never thought
that while they are complaining and wishing for negative things to happen, some
people are working hard to make sure that they can restore the power
immediately.
We live in a city where there are mountains and some lines
are off the road that even a 4x4 vehicle cannot enter it. Imagine these people
working at night, away from the comfort of their homes, will traverse these terrains
while carrying heavy poles and equipment just to bring comfort to your homes. Imagine
these people will work over night, even if they are not on duty, just to bring
back the power needed by all of its consumers. Imagine these people will climb
along the 45 footer poles just for you to watch a movie in your high end
television. Imagine how they sacrifice to be away from their family during
weekend or holidays just to replace the toppled pole and repair the broken
transformer. I know that some will tell that it is their job to do it and they are
paid to do it, but to wish bad thing to happen for them is cruel. Yes it is.
I am not a lineman, I do not wake up at night for
an emergency call because I am needed to go back to work because the whole city
has no power. Although I am not like them, I am very much affected every time I hear the adverse
feedback of people who close their hearts to understand the heavy work behind the brown out. And so, how much pain could
it be if it is the lineman who can hear it? How much ache could be if it is
their family who can see your negative comment?
I hope next time, every time there is brown out, let us be
careful of our words and of our comments. We do not know what is happening
behind it and how hard the work is. I know it is inconvenient for you, but do you know how much inconvenient it for them and for their family?
And so, whenever there is brown out, we can always think twice whether we
complain or not.
Disclaimer: This post is my own and does not represent the opinion of my company
