The Zen Of The Online Shopping "Hunt"
Rick London
It seems like a lifetime ago that mom would take me shopping. I had the most fun in the grocery store, for whatever reason, but, as I matured into my teens, fashion and grooming stores became more interesting. Like a lot of teenage boys, upon new information, girls were suddenly a lot more interesting. And to our (boys) surprise, we were becoming interesting to them as well, though, they were better at hiding it. A new thing was happening to us...relationships. They were so much fun back then. Life was simpler. No bills to pay. Never an argument about finances. Those were the days.
At about age 8 or 9, I learned something new. How to rebel. I think I still blame it all on the Beatles. I was still purchasing everything based on my mom's opinion. Suddenly new clothes were hitting the market that had been worn by the Beatles just a few Sundays before on the Ed Sullivan Show. Though most of us opted out of the nice black suits the Beatles wore, we did want the haircut and sundry other items that became merchandise. Mom was shocked when she gave me some money to buy some new clothes and I came home with mostly t-shirts of my favorite rock groups. By then, the Fab Four had spawned a slew of others from the U.K and many American bands wanting in on the act. Whomever I saw, I demanded the t-shirt. Whether it be Paul Revere And The Raiders, Herman's Hermits, Otis Redding, and later Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, and so many others, if there was some memorabilia attached to this music, it would soon be mine (if I could afford it).
Mall shopping, for me is rather benign as far as "the real hunt" goes, but can be socially rewarding. Malls are certainly are not the place to find today's "forbidden shopping fruit". We all know there are specialty stores on the Internet that cater just to us. It really depends on one's tastes. I enjoy these stores because they remind me of my days of youth when I could really sink my teeth into shopping, and, to me, everything looked new and pristine, and different.
Hunting is deeply ingrained in our culture (or any culture), even if we are not members of the NRA nor hunt animals. We love to search and research and find the best, the brightest, and the truly unique gifts or merchandise. It is true human nature to the core.
So there is indeed a zen "to the hunt", that is the hunt of finding something so unique and different, everyone asks its origin. And and Internet store adds to the mystique. It is so deeply ingrained in us, though we no longer physically do it, now we love the ease of shopping online, and more importantly being able to find "what is all the craze" without having to drive all over town to try to find it, usually only to be disappointed. Again, I am not saying I have boycotted brick and mortar stores, they are simply no longer my first choice for unique gifts.
Chances are very slim we are going to find "that totally unique gift" at say, Target Stores or Wal-Mart, though I do feel they have their value in our society.
But finding it online and being able to stare it in the eye on our monitor, click a mouse, fill in the blanks and order, is oh so nice and satisfies the hunter's passionate zen.
Author Rick London is also a top cartoonist on the Internet and owner of numerous estores.
http://www.ricklondonwear.com/ For True Online Shopping Zen try Rick Londonwear. Click Here
