Sometimes I have to sit back and wonder if our modern way of life is actually that amazing. I know that we have all of the fancy gadgets and conveniences in the world these days, but are we really better off? Sometimes I wish that I could just shut my computer and never open it again. Yes, the internet is an amazing resource but it also opens your brain to an endless world of exhaustion. No matter how hard I try to concentrate on myself sometimes, I can’t keep my fingers away from the keyboard. All of this makes me wonder if we really need the electronics in our lives. Specifically, I’ve also been thinking a lot about forced air furnaces versus good old fire as a source of heating. I’ve always had a basic forced air furnace in my life. I can’t say that I’ve ever found the heating source to be especially reliable or consistent. They definitely are not energy-efficient or good for your bank account. However, they always seemed preferable to the other option… Feeding a wood fire. Recently, I’ve had to re-examine my assumption that a regular fireplace wouldn’t be good enough for heating my house. I was staying with my mom when she started utilizing her fireplace in the living room. Within about an hour I noticed that I was pulling off layers and discharging blankets from my body. Turns out, fireplaces are actually extremely effective for providing additional heat. Maybe I should get rid of my central heating system right along with my dumb computer and return to a simpler life.