If the Internet Goes Down, Do We Still Have Basic Survival Skills?

When the connection is lost, what remains within us?

Photo by Theodor Sykes on Unsplash

Humans evolve, constantly moving in search of ease in life. Since the stone age, which was entirely analog, the industrial revolution emerged and changed how humans work. The evolution of development continues to this day; tasks that were once heavy, difficult, time-consuming, or even impossible are now all possible. Humans who once carried wood on their shoulders now have various types of machines to do it. Work that used to take months can now be completed in days or even hours.

It cannot be denied that this evolution of convenience does not only target things that truly deserve to be made easier, but also things that we are actually still very capable of doing ourselves. Simply sweeping the house — now there are advanced robots. Just pressing the “next” button on a music player — now it is enough to say, “Hi Siri, next song!” This movement of progress continues to rise in almost all aspects of life. In the last two decades, since gadgets have entered nearly every aspect of life, these changes have felt even faster. For example, people now struggle to write properly by hand in a notebook.

One certain thing we actually realize is that everything that exists will eventually come to an end, including all the technological sophistication we currently experience in our lives. One day it will disappear, vanish, be gone — no matter how. And when that technology is gone, will we still have the basic ability to live? Considering that today, nearly 80% of our lives depend on technology.

Struggling to study? Ask AI. Summarizing difficult material? Ask NotebookLM. Need ideas? Ask Gemini. Even just to ask questions, sometimes we still ask AI.

Imagine if suddenly the electricity goes out, all connections are lost. Can we still study? Can we still write in a notebook? Can we still socialize with friends? Can we still find reference data in printed books? Are we still able to analyze data or learning materials properly? Can we still solve math problems? Can we still clean the house? Can we still cook with the ingredients in the fridge without asking CookPad or watching cooking tutorials on YouTube? And of course, a mental state that suddenly loses control over the internet will cause instability — anxiety, confusion, even stress. This is something we should actually prepare for starting now.

There Are Times When We Must Let Go

There are times when we need to slowly let go of this overly convenient digital world, occasionally doing a digital detox. Reducing screen time, playing board games with family or friends, cleaning the house without advanced tools, learning to cook without guidance from Cookpad, YouTube, or TikTok, observing nature and birds flying in the tree in front of the house, looking at the vast sky, reading books, journaling, and other activities without the internet. So that if one day the internet truly disappears, or at least the electricity goes out, or certain conditions prevent us from accessing it, we are already somewhat accustomed to living in an analog way. Enjoying every moment in an analog way, without the internet.

“When we move faster and faster, the danger is not in the speed, but when that speed suddenly stops. Newton’s First Law, Inertia.”

Thank you for reading, Hanif Marsudi