“Why are you so happy, Frank?”
That’s what my friend, Mikey, asked me this morning. We were having coffee at our favourite cafe, overlooking the local golf course. It wasn’t a question I expected to be asked, I’ll be honest, so I took a great deal of time thinking about it before answering.
“I wasn’t always happy like this. In fact, six or seven months ago I was quite miserable. I’m not entirely sure what changed. It was around the time that the new Crazy Fox game came out, but I don’t think that’s what changed me. I signed up to get commercial solar from a Melbourne business around the same time, so maybe it was that.”
“You think that solar panels made you happy?” Mikey asked.
I shrugged. “It’s possible. There does seem to be a burden off my shoulders, knowing that I’m helping the planet survive through clean energy. I’ve got a 100kw solar system, which is a crazy amount for my small business, but I’d rather have more than I need rather than less.”
“I suppose that makes sense,” Mikey said. “Say, how much power does a 100kw solar system produce, anyway?”
I laughed. “More than you would ever need, Mike. You really should consider jumping on the solar power ship.”
“It sounds like a good idea, but what would you do if the sun exploded, or suddenly disappeared? How would you have power?”
“Well, if the sun vanished, we’d all perish, wouldn’t we? And if it exploded, same thing. I’m not too worried about it.”
Mikey nodded and took a sip of his coffee. “Okay, well what if the Earth stopped rotating and we were stuck on the dark side of the planet, in perpetual night?”
“What are the odds of that happening?”
“Pretty low, but what would you do if it happened?”
“I don’t know. I guess I would become a raider, breaking the laws of the land for my own personal gain. Maybe I’d start a whole gang of people who lost their electricity because they used solar power. Then I’d come and raid your house as vengeance for ever asking this question.”
“Huh,” Mikey said. “Well, thanks for answering.”
“No problem.”