These days it would be very wrong to take things for granted. This is not being pessimistic; the reality on the ground it is trying to be aware of the realities on the ground. Things are changing with amazing speed for better or worse. To get to the root of the why such things are happening might demand some deep research. Especially, when things you thought were good, persons you thought were well mannered and also realistic as realistic could be spin a full hundred eighty degrees it is a little difficult to take things are you are seeing them. What the hell happened to them? Only a few months back eths was a place where everything was managed smoothly and with the utmost care and respect. The reasons themselves might demand deeper research by those capable of carrying them out. So you might have to ask yourself more than a couple of times as to what really happened to the place or to the person though the answers wouldn’t be that easy.
Even though you don’t like the people who tell you what…
Maybe we should take this self-service thing seriously. It might sound a little off mark because we are accustomed to be served for every little and trivial things. We sit comfortably in our chairs and we’d be served whatever we ordered. That’s how things used to be at that place in what you are forced to call the good old days of being served as any loyal customer should be served. You have taken it for granted that whatever you ordered would be on your table pronto! Isn’t that nice? Of course, that is not about being served free lunch by the establishment. Not at all! You cough up quite a sum of your hard-earned money and there is nothing on their part of going out their way to reward you with the royal treatment pace and just to be served as and with you it would come with and also we might save some precious birr!
A guy I know recently goes to this mid-level café for the cup of macchiato. The regular customer he was more or less everyone knew him. And they also made a somewhat passable macchiato, and the seventy birr a cup didn’t squeeze much on this guy’s wallet. So the safest way to manage your wallet being going to those regular places you know if only to save yourself from unexpected and uncalled-for surprises. You wouldn’t believe the places and instances where surprises come with full force and practically leave you staggering.
So this guy goes to this favorite place, have his favorite macchiato and pulls eighty birr, seventy for the macchiato and ten tip. The waiter brings him the bill and this guy just tries to wave him away because he didn’t need the bill or anyone to tell him how much a cup of macchiato cost. But the waiter trying his very best to smile whispers something like, “Please see the bill!” What the hell was going on? He pulls the bill, opens it and alas! It was the perfect uppercut the likes of which sent Tyson’s challengers sprawling to the floor. A cup of coffee was 130 Birr! What! Unable to find the words to vent his anger he just stared at the figures until the café owner appears out of nowhere; he says quick greetings and says “Today’s macchiato is on me.” He then goes on to complain taxes being very high they were forced to increase the price of everything. With that he disappears as swiftly as he appeared. But for moments the apology and the settling of the bill did little to tame his frustration. Of course eventually he came to his senses and leaving the café he says it was sort of a “Sayonara!” as there was no way he will be drinking a 130 birr a cup macchiato. He took it for granted that a seventy-birr cup of macchiato would be waiting for him; but it seems the world has stopped working that way. This fast paced world seems to be moving faster than most of us could keep pace! And unable to keep up the pace would be the ‘Damocles Sword’ of ruin as catching up would probably be the hardest task of anyone’s life.
Look, it’s safe to say that the way things are in this age of ours taking things for granted would prove to be among our biggest mistakes as nothing remains as it is. In places where you more or less witnessed good treatment for quite considerable time there is no reason for you to suspect anything would go off the rails, and with such amazing speed. But then the unthinkable happens and you are left in the dark on how things change so swiftly and in ways there would be no going back. The simplest things having become too complex you would be pardoned to think there must be some unseen powers messing everything up.
With all the AI scare floating around who knows if we are being honed and polished to fall in line with a world that’s about to change in ways a sci-fi author wouldn’t have thought of. Maybe we have to reevaluate our expectations and also maybe much of the mental baggage we carried over from yesteryears might have to be thrown by the wayside.
Say there is this public office where several people converge every day in search of services and the staff handled everything client with the utmost care. Say it’s one of those rare places where every staff member from top to bottom know what they’ve to do and do it professionally. The when one fine day you go to the same place to have some documents signed. The unthinkable start happening from the main gates with the security personnel you’re familiar with act as if all clients were trying to get in some unwanted mob. The trend continues in all sections and if some omen was finally happening. And if you manage to have the documents signed, which normally takes minutes, in another ten or fifteen days then you’d be lucky.
Taking things for granted these days wouldn’t be very smart.
BY EPHREM ENDALE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SUNDAY EDITION 8 JUNE 2025
