We think live in a world that’s tailor made for us and, in a lot ways, that’s not wrong. From heating and cooling to the HVAC service to the simple emergency plumber and sewer line replacement, everything we have in this modern world was forged by enterprising and intelligent people. But that’s not the entire story. Not by a long shot. The machines and procedures we have in this world, from plumbing repair to auto repair, all took long centuries of germination followed by brief bursts of illumination. It wasn’t always easy or forthcoming, either. Inventors misfired all the time before they came up with viable options. Often times, these misfires were the norm for incredibly long periods of time. But, how then, did we end up with all the technical marvels that we have today? Well, there’s no simple answer to any of those questions. If there was, we wouldn’t study history! Let’s take a closer look at some of these procedures in depth so that we might better understand this fascinating process. By looking at the basic details of something as seemingly innocuous as plumbing repair, we might be able to glimpse something as monumental as the future of the world.
- Where it all began
So what process should we look at first? And, somewhat more importantly, where should we start looking? There are so many to choose from and, honestly, it’s hard to know where to begin. For simplicity’s sake, let’s start with plumbing and plumbing repair. You might not believe it but plumbing is one of the modern marvels of the world. We went long, long centuries without even the most basic plumbing and, in the times when we did which are basically most of the times humans lived in, the world was a very different place. Let’s go back there for a second so that we might get a better sense of what life was like before this crucial modern invention. It behooves us to do this so that we might get a better sense of the advantages we have today and, quite possibly, the advantages that the people of tomorrow might have. The past is the key to the future, after all, and when things begin they never quite stop. They simply continue and transform. Even humble things, to a degree that might surprise you. And it all starts by taking a big leap back in time.
The world before light and before pipes
So what was the world like before modern day plumbing and plumbing repair? Well, it wasn’t easy. Hygiene and hygienic processes were only cursorily understood and, therefore, people got a lot sicker than they do today. There were all sorts of processes and procedures for taking care of water and waste but none were very efficient. They weren’t very effective either and that’s where the civilizations of the past ran into problems. Whole cities were plagued by what to do with all of the waste generated by their social systems and some succumbed entirely to disease because of this problem. There just wasn’t the infrastructure or technology to support large scale metal pipes. The closest any of these classical era civilizations got was China or Rome which had crude plumbing in their large cities but little infrastructure elsewhere.
Where we go from here
Of course, today, all of this is history. We have all of these luxuries afforded to us by the industrial revolution and technological advancement. But, the question remains, how will we adapt these systems to a world that’s increasingly disconnected to nature and in potential whole other areas such as space? Well, the answer to that is surprising and innovative. We will have to rely on more energy efficient systems and conversion mechanisms which will transform both human and industrial waste into reusable forms of energy. There are whole industries being designed around this and even plumbing repair will follow to accommodate them. There are ever more efficient piping systems being developed by the likes of public and private space systems alike that will slowly trickle into civilian life over the next twenty years. These machines will help move the public forward.
