Before you start reading. I'm just going to warn you.... 1) this is very long. 2) this might be offensive to some.
According to Matthew 6:24 (and Luke 16:13), "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."
So the question is... is it OK to buy pirated CDs and DVDs?
Ahem.... well, the answer to it is, of course, NO-NO-NO-NO- and...... NO!!!
Yes it seems innocent, but this is one of the most common sins we commit. Yes, we, including me, most likely commit or have committed this. There was at least one moment in your life that you've consciously or unconsciously pirated something. Perhaps copying a cassette tape to another... or burning a CD of a song you borrowed... buying the fake software that you really need in school... perhaps making a photocopy of a text book in school or a score of song..or even just downloading.. and many other mediocre stuff that seemed innocent when we did it.
First of all, if you have never bought any genuine software, game, CD, or DVD in your life....I don't blame you. I understand it if you say you'll just buy from Tutuban. I myself, don't have the capacity to buy every original software that I need.
Well... according to the Bible, "Thou shalt not steal". There's no argument there. So, is software piracy stealing? You'll probably say "the ones who sell them are the ones stealing them." We're creative beings, so we can always come up with a good excuse. But isn't buying pirated [or, if you don't mind me saying, stolen] goods just the same? Besides, piracy is derived from sea pirates. It literally mean "robbery at sea".
Let me introduce you to the so called LICENSE. Yes, each software, CD, and DVD is a copyright protected item. It means, they are not free. Just because you have a DVD writer does not give you the liberty to copy any given software. Even the NERO you're using is probably pirated.
Anyway, every time we buy a genuine CD or DVD or software or digital downloads, there's a so-called license agreement. Most of us don't read the conditions of the license, and it's perfectly normal not to. I haven't met a single person who reads those. So I'll give you some samples of what's written in it...
- You cannot lend it your friend who is just going to copy it.
- You cannot install it to every one of your computers. Just one, unless it is a multi-user license.
- You cannot download it, unless purchased from an official website.
Basically, no copying, no selling, no buying pirated, no downloading. You know what I mean....
It's practically normal for us to use pirated copies. Our downloaded and copied mp3s, the Windows in our PC, the movies that we are watching. Everyone, most probably, has a pirated copy of something. Being in a third world country makes it difficult. We are already struggling with food, gas, and rent....why bother complicate things further by buying genuine merchandise? Why not just go with the flow?...everybody does it. [We'll answer these questions later.]
To give you a good idea on how much an average person has pirated... this is a sample:
Each song in your IPOD is around P30 (FlipTunes). Multiply that by the number of songs that you have in your IPOD, which is give or take around 500 to 4000 songs... So it's around P15,000 to P120,000. Wow! that's alot of money.
The Windows XP or Vista that you're using... For the laptops, it's probably a licensed copy, so don't worry. However, the desktops..at least 90% of the time, NO. That's a price range of P2,000 to P8,000 depending on the kind of Windows that you use.
Genuine movies cost around, P150 to P1000, depending on the quality and age of the release. The older, the cheaper. If the movie just came out and you're cheap, you'll probably download or buy them in your friendly neighborhood pirated store. Each movie ticket costs at least P120, which is twice the cost of pirated DVD. So count all the movies that you've watched with your pirated DVDs, and multiply it by P120. My guess is, you have around 10 to 30 DVDs stashed in your home.
The Microsoft Office that you use in your office and house. That's at least P4500, EACH.
All the PS2 and XBOX360 games that are in that big CD bag of yours... It costs an average of P1500 each... My guess is, if you have a console, you'll have at least 20 games.
All in all, an average guy has pirated more or less a minimum of P25,000... and that's excluding all the past piracy's. For every generation software that you've used.. For every upgrade that you've used... you have to pay for them separately. It's not a one time payment deal, unless specified.
Anyway, we are a poor country..blah blah blah.. I know... So here are some tips that can help alleviate this predicament.
- Music. Each song is around P30. You'll usually play a good song for days, or even weeks. So a weekly expense of P30 for a new song isn't a bad deal.
- Music. If you're still too cheap, sell your IPOD and get portable radio. If the song is good, I'm sure they'll play it. You can even be more entertained, a lot of DJs are entertaining.
- Windows. Well, we use our windows for around 3 to 5 years before we upgrade it to the newer version. Windows XP came out on Oct 2001 and started to be common at the start of 2002, and is still widely used today. It has been commonly used for more than 6 years. That's 72 months. If you do the math, you'll just need to set aside, P28 to P111 a month, not a week, only a month. Start saving now before the next Windows comes out.
- Windows. An alternative to Windows is to use Linux. It's free, and it's not as hard to use as most people tend to think. It's a lot faster too. Although, you'll get some disadvantages... But FREE is FREE, and the advantages out weights the small discomforts. All of its software's are free. It's a lot faster, especially when surfing. You won't have worry about your parents trying hack into your computer, cause they probably wouldn't know how to use it. You'll look smarter too.
- Movies. if you can wait for the movie to come out on DVD, it always depreciates over time. You can gather all your friends and each person chips in the P50 you'll be using to buy the DVD. Just gather 9 friends plus yourself... You can buy an original copy. And you get to keep a copy to watch over and over again.
- Movies. Or just watch at the movie theater. A good movie is always best seen in the big screen.
- Movies. Rent it!!!
- Movies. And for the ultimate cheap skate, wait for it to come out on Studio 23 or HBO.
- Microsoft Office. Just download Open Office it's a rip off version of Microsoft Office. It doesn't have the same features, but it's free. And it has all the essentials that we need. It is also a good practice of our grammar skills (less effective grammar check). It's just like the time when everybody is so used to using Nokia that Sony Ericson just won't sell. It's a matter of what we are used to using.
- Other software's. If you use Linux, there's no other problem with that. Every software available is free. For Windows users, each kind of software usually has a free software alternative, especially essentials like anti-virus software's. So don't worry, you can have a pirated free computer. And if you really need to purchase something, just save up for it. If you can buy a desktop, it means you have money. Besides, if you take a look at your computer and all the programs that you have, you don't really use most of them. Some of them are just there cause you MIGHT use them. To prove it, how many of you have Microsoft Access?!?! and how many of you can honestly tell me you know how to do a query?
- Games. For many, like myself.. this is very important. If we get tired or finish a game, we move on to the next. Some people finish a certain game in a day or two. This is going to be tricky. First of all, don't buy any console if you're too cheap to buy the original games. Each game costs from P1000 to P3000, usually around P2000. Well, you can just stop playing in computer shops.. It will save you around P50 a day. That's more or less P1000 a month.
- Games. Oops..still not enough. Well, you can get second hand games for that amount. And, if you're not wasting 2 hours a day on playing in computer shops...it means you have an extra 2 hours to study or to get a part time job. If you study harder, mommy might give you a little extra bonus allowance so that you can buy your games.
- Games. For those of you workers out there, just set aside p100 a day, you'll get an average of one game a month.
- Games. Another way is to have a lot of friends who like the same kind of games as you do. For example, you all have an Xbox360... Each of should buy a different title once every month or two. If there are five of you in your group, that's already five games to play with in two months...and that is enough. If that's not enough, you're probably failing a few classes. Parents!!! do you agree??? So don't allow your kids to talk you into making your Wii or Xbox modded to play fake games.
- Wait for SALEs. Like any other product, clearance/warehouse sales would always occur from time to time. Just wait for them.
- Get from abroad. Some times it is cheaper to just buy from abroad (should be with in Asian region). I would always hear of people's friends and family going abroad. A software there could be a lot cheaper. So just search the internet and see if you can save up by asking them to buy on your behalf.
It may be hard to follow all these, but let's take it one step at a time. I may be blogging this, but I'm also one of those who are struggling here. So let's help each other out. Let us pray and encourage one another. Helping each other over come our struggles.
Anyway, for the rich guys out there, just buy the original... Your money is worthless if you can't use it for good.
What about me? I currently have around 300 downloaded MP3s left, after deleting over 2000 of it. After deleting some, I have 64 PSP games left. Pirated Windows, at least four pirated software's, not including the ones I haven't installed.
Here's my own personal plan. Find the original CD, and pay for it, or pay the mp3 online at least one song a week. Set aside enough money every month to pay for the next generation Windows 7 coming out July of this year. And the hard part.. delete all the PSP games that I'm not playing [I'm still narrowing it down]. Find second hand PSP games over the net, starting with the ones I like best, some of them just cost p500. It's at least half cheaper than the retail price. Any additional games that I play on the computer, I try to buy the original. In fact, I just spent a little over p4000 to buy a certain title for the PC and a PSP game that I've already played. For the software's, I'll buy the licenses of those software's in a span of a year or two [I'll probably get the latest at the moment I buy them], or just delete them if I don't really use them. My first priority aside from video games is to save up to buy my own copy of Windows 7, hopefully by the end of the year. All else can come after.
To answer the question earlier, why bother doing this?... a lot of non-Christians out there know that piracy is illegal, and they say that we Christians are just as bad as them. How much is a few thousand peso savings compared to the Salvation of another? Do we really want to face God some day and tell him.. "I just wanted save a little money." Money that has no worth in eternity. We are to be blameless in all aspects of our lives, just like Daniel and Paul.
Philippians 2:14-16
"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life - in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing."
Another thing is.. if we keep on pirating, a lot of companies will close down due to bankruptcy...It means, the song or game or movie that they specialize that we love could go bye-bye. And the workers there, who also have families to feed, will lose their jobs. Do we really want to be accountable for their loss?
If you really need it and don't have the money... Hey, God provides our needs, remember? Just pray!!!
By the way, those of you who download from torrents, limewires, and other peer-to-peers... you're not off the hook. You're just as guilty as any buyer or seller of pirated goodies.
I challenge each and everyone of us... Let us try to amend our ways, and build a better testimony for others to see.
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