It has been decades since I heard the recording “All circuits are busy. Please try your call again later.” Way back then, maybe as far back as the 70s, this would happen on Mother’s Day or other holidays when everyone was trying to place long distance calls at the same moment. Those long distance calls were rarely critical, so it was just an annoyance.

In the last few weeks, I have heard this message three times when trying to call my daughter’s cell phone. I don’t know if the bottleneck is a cell phone issue or land line issue. What I do know is that there is something more ominous about this. Long distance calls were quite rare back in the 70s. Phone calls today are ubiquitous and frequent. We depend on them, probably too much, whether land line or cell. 

Right now, indications of vulnerability in basic infrastructure upon which we rely are worrisome. I just spent more than a very long weekend without electricity, central heat, Internet and water due to the ice storm that hit New England. My phone and iPhone both worked, and thanks to the email capabilities of the latter, I was able to stay in touch with clients, at least while the battery had sufficient charge. Our woodstove kept the house temperature at a cozy 60 (we weren’t home enough to keep it stoked up). So we managed.

I think more people need an experience like our weekend. Everyone should understand how much we take for granted and how quickly a normal day can disintegrate into a potentially dangerous situation.

Is there anything about corporate behavior and recent news that convinces you that our infrastructure is in good hands? Our bridges, for instance? Our water supply? Will the current drop in gas prices reduce the sense of urgency with which we must eliminate our dependence on oil? Will the water shortages that have already begun to crop up in many areas spread even while Americans continue to add multi-headed showers, jacuzzis and lawn irrigation systems? Will global warming continue to make extreme weather more frequent? Will natural disasters become so common and infrastructure damage so significant that repair crews never catch up?