There is no place like an island to bring home how vitally interconnected we are to each other.

The other night, one lone deer on tiny Shaw Island managed to plunge all the San Juan County islands into complete darkness and powerlessness for about five hours. This deer, it seems, decided to cross the road at the same time some unsuspecting driver (and there are only about 50 cars on the entire island) came around the corner. Whether to save Bambi or the front grillwork, the driver swerved sharply. He missed the deer. He didn't miss the power pole.

Fortunately, the driver escaped injury. But the transformer blew, and Orcas Power and Light became what it is known by among the island locals: "Occasional Power and Light." The resulting chain-reaction of overloads and short-outs traveled unde…