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What if we woke up one day and suddenly the internet is gone? No way to connect to friends online, no internet life, no Hive, and certainly nothing like being online anymore. I know there was a time in human history when it wouldn't have been a bother or a big deal if those things were lost, because they didn't even exist in the first place. People were living their best lives without the knowledge of anything called the internet, and life didn’t stop. But if that happened now, in this modern time and age, I wonder how long it'll take before we actually adapt to the change.

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I remember one time there was a nationwide internet blackout. Everyone panicked, including myself, because such a thing had never happened before. There was no way to post anything or reach out to anybody. I remember my frustration trying to post on Hive that day. I kept refreshing my network, thinking it was one of those usual internet dramas, but still, nothing. When it was finally restored, I got online and saw people saying it felt like the end of the world. The way they described that moment reminded me of how people felt during the lockdown.

The internet really seems to be the core of everything these days. That’s why if it’s taken away for even 24 hours, people start to freak out. A lot of people have their real jobs online, so no internet would mean unemployment. People who are studying online, those who are learning vital skills, small business owners who sell through WhatsApp and Instagram, remote workers, content creators, digital marketers, bloggers, YouTubers, it would affect all of them. And for us here on Hive, it’s a wrap up. So the real question is, what’s next?

That’s where handwork comes in.

I remember how, a few times, mothers would sit together and start discussing how important it is for someone to have a skill. Most times, they direct the talk towards girls, how a woman should have something doing before marriage and all that. But let’s be honest, it’s not just about women. It affects everyone. Nothing actually lasts forever.

There are people who started off life so well you’d never imagine there’d be any such thing as “going back to square one.” But life happened, they lost it all. And you know what saved them? The manual skill they had picked up. They started building back with the little they had, and eventually started making a living off it again. The truth about life is, we all need a Plan B. Things we didn’t plan, unexpected events, and twists can happen at any time. If there’s no backup, it hits harder.

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Years back, I worked at a beauty salon for quite a long time. So if everything I know online eventually becomes a memory, I’m grateful I still know a thing or two about hair braiding. People always say, “No matter how hard life gets, women will always want to look beautiful.” And that’s facts. No matter how much everyone is complaining about how expensive things are, women are still showing up looking beautiful, making long braids, buying expensive wigs, and slaying. Salons are even getting busier because nobody wants to carry last.

I might not be a full-blown professional, but I’ve had times when just knowing basic braiding styles like knotless braids earned me some good cash, especially when I was away from home. So if it all goes down, I’m taking the bull by the horn. I’ll brush up on my braiding skills and pick up the pieces of my life from there.

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