The electricity has been out for some 18 hours. During some of that time I have been reading about Henry VIII. It made me think of how much more comfortable my life is than was his. Electricity makes a wonderful difference, since I can usually have light where I want it and as much light as I want. Henry had water piped into his quarters in some of his palaces, but did not have hot water available at the turn of a tap. He also had to move constantly in order that the places in which he lived could be cleaned and aired out, and the horrible smells kept in check.
My food is hot or cold, as I prefer, while he did not have close connections to the kitchen to keep hot food hot, and did not enjoy refrigeration. I have the advantages of fruits and vegetables that did not exist in Henry’s pre-Columbian world. I have the advantages of a food chain managed by air, sea and highway that makes seasons meaningless in terms of fresh food availability.
Henry had to move frequently, although he did not travel as much in the average day as I might. When he traveled, he did so usually on horseback or barge. He traveled slowly by our standards, and when he traveled by road he did so over really bad roads.
His outer garments were usually dirty. His furniture generally less comfortable than mine.
He lived before it became customary to read books, and indeed there were few books that had been written. He lived before the invention of the novel. I have more information available via the Internet than he could obtain with full control of the government of his country, and I get it faster than he could have imagined.
He had access to the best entertainment of his time, but he also lived before the invention of the modern theater. Certainly he had less access to entertainment than I have via cable television and radio.
And of course, if I get sick I can enjoy a standard of medical knowledge and care that Henry could not have imagined.
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