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We live in a time when access to electricity has become an essential part of life. As such, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that many people cannot even imagine voluntarily spending an hour in the dark. 

However, for those who are so inclined, here are a few suggestions with what one can do during Earth Hour tonight. 

For many Indonesians, family time means a day spent wandering around the mall. Instead of aimlessly drifting in and out of boutiques at the shopping centers, you can organize a picnic in your backyard or at a park. 

The setting isn’t that important. The idea is to spend quality time with your family. Dads can share their upcoming vacation plans with their kids. Wives can talk their husbands into taking more time with the family. 

Best friends are those that stick with you through your darkest days. Perhaps you could use this time to forge a closer bond with them. 

You could share your deepest, darkest secret. If you get an unfavorable reaction, you can easily flee the room under cover of darkness. 

Or you could just hang out and play some games that don’t require electricity, but do require communication, like board games, truth or dare or scavenger hunt. Preparing a couple of April Fool’s Day pranks might also be an entertaining use of your time. 

Lovebirds, here’s the perfect opportunity for you to have a candlelight dinner. Prior to lights out, prepare a room, but just make sure that it’s not a fire hazard. Cook a meal or grab some takeout. Spice the meal up with a bottle of wine. Spread some rose petals around. The idea of near darkness may accentuate the levels of sensuality, and you can thank Earth Hour for where the dinner may possibly take you after. 

Party animals, you could definitely make tonight an interesting experience. Pick a place large enough to fit a group of people. To find your way around, use battery-powered flashlights and lanterns for a cool laser beam effect. To set the mood, invite your musically-inclined friends to organize an acoustic jam session. With a cooler full of booze, you’ll have yourself a merry little beach party, even without the beach. 

And for those who are prone to endless contemplation on the questions of life, love and our role in the universe, Earth Hour is just the right time to reflect. Things will most probably be quiet, dark and bereft of any disruption. 

You should then be able to ask yourself these questions. Should I quit my job? When should I get married? Did I really kiss my best friend’s wife last week? What is God? Should we support Earth Hour? 

The worst case scenario, or best case for many, is that one could use the lights out time for what is arguably the most underrated, electricity-free activity — sleeping! 

  

Things to Do in the Dark: 

• Dinner by candlelight. 

• Attempt to spot the stars through Jakarta’s smog-filled haze. 

• Do a workout with no equipment, such as push-ups, sit-ups and jumping jacks. 

• Tell ghost stories — the setting couldn’t be better. 

• Practice your award-winning speech or sincerest apology. 

• Polish a flawless excuse for why you’re skipping the office’s outing next week. 

• Prove to the world that it is possible to survive 60 minutes with no Facebook status updates, tweets or checking your e-mail. 

• Take an inventory on how your New Year’s resolutions have held up. 

• Take pictures of the city to remind yourself that it doesn’t have to look this way. 

• Spend a good hour to think of what you can do to make the Earth a greener place.