I confess. I watched tonight’s “The Bachelor” and dramatic “After the Rose” show to mild reality game show amusement and gut wrenching heartstrings drama. If you haven’t seen it, here’s the 30 second summary. Jason (the bachelor) picks Melissa and proposes to her and rejects Molly. A few weeks later, Jason breaks up with Melissa, confessing that he still has feelings for Molly. The then professes his love for Molly and she gives him a slow, but welcome second shot. Ok, the end of the Bachelor discussion. Sure, a single dad in a confined environment with 20 beautiful women that seem to be in love with him is more than a mind frak, but I wonder where the truth is and what this says about, well, you know – us.
Are we always shopping or do we just pick something good and work on the rest? Melissa was pretty upset that Jason never really confessed his reservations and tried to work on their relationship. I ended up really empathizing and agreeing with her despite seeing that Molly was a much better fit. Shopping really isn’t a marriage and marriages aren’t fabricated from game show magic.
How can loyalty exist in a world with infinite selection and mass customization. Why settle for any product or any relationship when you can have exactly what you want if you search hard enough? I buy in to the good enough philosophy. Satisfaction is derived from the long-term relationship the delivers a consistent, but imperfect promise, the comfort of familiar brands and reliable shoes.