If It Worked Then, It Still Works Now

For someone who hasn’t paid her cable subscription for over nine months, the last week of October gave me a reality check, if it worked then, it still works now.

The Freedom That Made Us Forget
Over the months, I’ve received countless calls from my cable provider with tempting offers, but I ignored them all. Some days, I’d pick up and hang up the moment I realized who was calling. Other times, not wanting to sound rude, I’d say, “She (me) isn’t here,” and end the call politely.

You see, we all crave power and control, and that’s exactly what the internet gave us.
The power to pause a movie and answer a call.
The flexibility to continue where we left off.
The joy of skipping commercials, or not having any at all.
The freedom from watching the same movie several times a week (I watched Monster-in-Law three times this week!).
That’s how most of us drifted away from cable. These days, the only time we sit still and watch something from beginning to end is at the cinema.

When Cable Became a “House Help Thing”
The last time I paid for a cable subscription was when my mom came to visit.
And, if we’re being honest, in most households with internet access, cable stays on only because the house-help or relatives want to catch their favorite daily or weekly local shows.
You may ask, what about the kids?
Well, they’re glued to their tablets watching YouTube, Netflix, or playing games.

Cable Tried to Catch Up But We’d Moved On
Some cable providers tried to meet us where we are by offering streaming services on mobile and desktop.
A great idea, truly.
But if you’re not a football fanatic, that gesture probably didn’t move you much.

Then Came October 29th
When our world stood still, we went back to our first love.
When we needed real-time updates about what was happening in our country, we turned to our decoders.
I, for one, was glued to Al Jazeera for coverage.

A Familiar Companion
For me, one particular cable provider was just that, a familiar companion from the early 2000s, when the lowest bundle cost $60, to today, when it’s as low as TZS 27,500.
We’ve truly come a long way.

Lesson Learned

Don’t ignore what worked years ago. Get yourself a cable subscription, you never know when you’ll need it again.