The Diderot Effect

Sometimes new things make our other possessions look shabby. This is "the Diderot effect," and it's what keeps the consumer escalator moving ever upward. God calls us to discover our spiritual gifts and then resist the temptation to augment our gift just because others possess it in different measure.

Accessorize.

This word -- accessorize -- is not only an imperative, it's a temptation.

An imperative because you can't just not accessorize. You can't just do the basic thing without adding this or that thingamabob here, or a few doodads there. It ain't gonna happen.

A temptation because it is sooooo easy just to keep adding and adding and adding.

For example:

You can't just get a computer. You hafta throw in a colorful mousepad, an ergonomic keyboard and wrist shelf to keep you from getting carpal tunnel syndrome; then there are dust covers, tinted screen, disk caddies and CD-ROM storage units, batteries and laptop accessories, a compu-filter to eliminate dust in your computer, cables, connectors, switch boxes, video cards and real audio, and zip disks.

By now you need more desktop space for your desktopping functions. A bigger desk with capacious shelving and deep drawers and that special little pull-out tray for the keyboard.

You're also gonna need surge protectors,...