These Moments
Sundays were always the highlight of my week. It allowed me to stay connected with my grandson and fill him with the knowledge that he is always intrigued by. I loved seeing that twinkle in his eyes every time something beyond his imagination is told. I envy his energy and eagerness for knowledge and it is almost contagious.
The day started with a stroll at the park with my grandson and he asked out of the blue, “Is life different to how it was fifty years ago?” The genuine curiosity behind his voice filled my heart with joy. I couldn’t believe that he was barely a decade old and already as bright as he was.
“Good question, little man. Life wasn’t as good as today. The planet we live on was dying fifty years ago. Earth was suffering from something called climate change. We were reaching temperatures of fifty degrees Celcius, the sea levels were rising and the ice caps were melting,” I replied keeping in mind to use simple language.
“But how come the world isn’t dead today?” he confusingly asked.
“The world will never be perfect, but it’s much better now. Mankind managed to find a way to solve climate change by finding an incredible way to produce power. Before, coal, oil and gas were our main ways to power our cities. These are all called fossil fuels and they were destroying our environments because they produced so much pollution. Those wind turbines and solar panels you see everywhere are very clean types of energy but weren’t as popular as they are now. Luckily, the game-changing discovery that saved the Earth from dying was harnessing kinetic energy and converting it into a major power source. The man who found this was an absolute genius.”
“What in the world is kinetic energy?” he questioned.
“Okay, bare with me. Kinetic energy is energy from an object when it is moving. Many types of energy can be transformed into other types of energy. An example could be you riding a bike and then suddenly breaking. The kinetic energy from your wheels is converted into heat energy when you suddenly stop. If you feel the tires, you’ll realise that they will be a bit hot,” I said, hoping that he understood.
“So, a person found a way to change kinetic energy into electricity?”
“Yes! That’s right. However, this technique had already been discovered fifty years ago but, it wasn’t popular. I remember there actually were a couple of gyms that were powered by their own machines. This scientist found an amazing way to make it more efficient, to a point where it could power our whole cities. At the London 2012 Olympics, kinetic sidewalks were installed and they sank five millimetres. Every time these sidewalks were stepped on, it created power. Now, these are everywhere in the world and we are powering some homes and businesses just by having a morning walk!”
“That’s so cool! But sidewalks can’t power an entire city can they?”
“Of course not, but as time went on, technology advanced more and more and the government have altered everything so it can produce clean energy. Do you see that merry-go-round at that playground? When children like you spin and play on it, it produces electricity! This was used in Ghana, a place in Africa that didn’t have access to electricity. All the bikes have been changed in a way that also help power the city. It’s quite frankly amazing. I could go on and on but, I would bore you.”
I expected a witty comment from him but I heard nothing except for silence. I turned and glanced over my left shower, I saw a child with his mouth wide open, absolutely shocked. He continued walking in disbelief and I could see his cogs turning in his head, trying his best to process all this information. These moments were everything to me. I cherished these moments and held them close to my heart. All I ever wanted to do for the rest of my life was to keep on having these wonderful moments, but I cannot wait for the moment when I tell him that the man who popularised the use of kinetic energy was me.