Taking the red pill.... Is it cheaper on eBay?

I think I have become somewhat of an eBay addict! It all started out innocently enough... my goal was to find fall clothes for Luke. There are just so many great deals out there! Brand new things with the tags still on! And I can just envision him in all those cute outfits! Plus, he really does need some fall things.

I have used eBay quite regularly in the past-- I have bought computer software, books, tennis shoes, etc.-- But, I have never spent as much time surfing through the listed goods as I have looking for Luke!

My favorite play clothes for him are from Gymboree, and there are so many of the discontinued lines out on eBay for pretty good prices. I am a tad competitive, too. I have my own personal strategies for winning the auctions. First, NEVER bid on an item to start off-- especially if it has more than 5 minutes left before it ends. Why? Because if you bid on something you are telling everyone out in eBay land that you are interested in buying that particular item. The goal is to sneak in during the last few seconds out of nowhere and place your bid. Then it is too late for anyone else to one up you on the price. They had no idea that anyone else was even paying attention to the item, and they have more than likely let down their guard!! You also must have two screens up-- one with the item, current bid, and time left-- and one with your bid amount all ready to go, so all you have to do is click submit as time runs out. It works 98% of the time. The only wrench that might get thrown into the equation is if someone has submitted a maximum bid that is higher than the bid you entered-- it takes some time to decide if you are willing to pay more and to re-enter bids until you surpass their maximum. Since this is always a possible scenario, I usually place my bid when there is about 1 minute left on the item. This gives me time to re-bid if necessary.

Perhaps I should not have shared this invaluable information with the masses-- it could possibly hurt my chances on some future auction! :) All of you with seven month-old boys in need of fall frocks beware!

Seriously, what a crazy world we live in today! Luke will never know what it is like to be in a computerless world. I can remember the first time I used a computer... I was in an after-school "gifted and talented" program (not a very PC title these days!) and we spent an entire afternoon typing in several pages of "code" just so that if we had done it exactly correct, our name would scroll across the screen repeatedly in many vertical rows! Talk about practical application...

Luke will never know a world without e-mail and internet and DVD players in the backseat of the car. Cell phones with cameras and text messaging and e-mail and who knows what else will be standard fare for his generation. They probably won't even resemble phones as we know them now-- maybe some little micro chip implanted into a wrist band or attached to your ear!!!

When I was in high school, I read a book by Alvin Tofler entitled "Future Shock." His premise was that one day a generation will wake up to find that technology has escalated at such a fast pace that it can no longer keep up-- it will be similar to being dropped down into some third-world country and experiencing culture shock-- not knowing the language, the customs, the diet, etc. It will be "future shock." He explains that our civilization has advanced more in the last 100 years technology-wise than in the rest of all previous civilizations combined. I am sure he would be a fan of the Matrix.
I always believed that the Matrix was a great movie for Christians in the sense that it vividly paints a version of the reality and challenge we face each day we wake up here on earth. Work with me here.... Each day we live in a world that we believe is "real"-- We put our trust, our hopes and dreams firmly on the reality of our "here and now." We all need to take the "red pill" and remove ourselves from the falsely-created present, realizing that this world is only temporary-- no matter how real Satan wants us to believe it is. Our real lives will begin in a sense when we see God and join Him in eternity-- that is why each decision we make here is so important. We need to live each day here with that day in mind.

Taking the red pill is a risk-- it means our eyes our opened to the truth, and that can be a painful revelation... showing us our sin and complacency. It also starts us on a long path of questions with the new knowledge that ignorance really was bliss. It is easier to float along with the "blue pill" world each day, never thinking about how completely consumed we are with the temporary things it offers. One can keep this line of thinking and pondering going forever and ever-- so, I will leave the rest of the analysis and pursuit of this equation for another day!

By the way-- a thought: Isn't the country divided now into "red states" and "blue states"? Those who recognize truth and have a sense of reality and those who live in a dream world of oblivion?! Was Hollywood aware of the statement it was subconsciously making?! Go "W"! Sorry-- I just couldn't resist!!!

Luke is sleeping. His reality now is so simple and innocent-- eat, sleep, play, laugh. He is not corrupted in anyway by anything. All of his motives are pure and/or instinctual. He trusts me completely and doesn't have the capacity to think and reason on his own yet. Maybe that is why Jesus said we should all become as children in order to fully understand the kingdom of God....