Monday, January 22, 2007

In the dark

Last week's rolling blackouts across South Africa got many of us a little hot under the collar. It's frustrating to try work without power. It's more frustrating to try travel through intersections that are gnarled up because the traffic lights don't work.

What really got people fuming was the poor excuse offered by Eskom, the country's power supplier. Their contention was that growth in South Africa has progressed so rapidly, that they haven't yet created the infrastructure to deal with the country's energy needs.

What would they prefer? That the economy not grow? That we slowly slide into Third World status?

Every thinking person appreciates the nonsensical nature of this argument.

Unless, we are making it.

We often hear people complain about the load that their Jewish involvement places on them. They were originally happy to get involved in Jewish observance, but now find it tedious.

That's when people sometimes make the Eskomic error- instead of celebrating their growth, they start bemoaning their new energy tax. The next step could be to back-pedal and hope that less Jewish involvement might make life more manageable.

The answer is not to slide back spiritually, but to appreciate that growth needs investment.

Embrace progress, don't oppose it. It will illuminate your life.

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