The recent announcements by various Internet Service Providers now offering cheap uncapped Internet accounts have to be one of the biggest steps forward for South African Internet in many, many years. The aftermath of these new products, a few weeks on, has left ripples throughout the time continuum. One such ripple has touched me and had a profound effect on my outlook in life.
I feel old! Yes, you heard me, Old! Either I am getting old, or the world has gone mad. Perhaps it's a little of both.
Consider, if you will, a world where the birthday boy is presented with a giant cake, the size of a mega large pizza, and a mountain of presents. He eats the entire cake in a few minutes, rips the wrapping off all the presents as fast as he can and then starts to complain. The cake wasn't big enough! Where are the really nice presents? Why wasn't it a double chocolate cake. Ungrateful little...!
Yet this is not far from the truth of what has occurred these past few weeks. South African Internet users have been given (locally)unheard of freedom to use the Internet as they've never had the option to do before. Individuals, previously limited to 10 or 20GBs, have managed to consume over 60GBs and more, for a fraction of the cost in just a few days. And are they happy? No! The complaints are ridiculous! MyBroadband forums are full of people unhappy with their new found freedom. Instead of celebration at this step forward, what we are witnessing is grubby little greedy paws grasping for more. Gimme, gimme! Wanna wanna sweeties!1
Is it just to be blamed on youth? Was I ever that naïve? That demanding? I hope not!
Or wait... Perhaps I am...?
God offers us the greatest gift of all; Eternal life. And what do we do with it? We complain. Why haven't you given me a better job, God? Gimme! Why don't I have enough money, God? Gimme more! Why haven't I found the right person to marry, God? Gimme! Why don't you talk to me, God? Why don't you stop the suffering, God? Why don't you solve my problems, God?
“God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.”2
What more could we ever want?
What other response is there but wholehearted gratitude?
1 - Hopefully Terry Pratchett doesn't mind my using a Wentworth quote.
2 - John 3:26 CEV
