My wife told me about a documentary on TV last night in which a number of former couples were interviewed regarding the breakup of their marriages over affairs in an online virtual world. There is a disturbing trend in recent months that illustrates the very real dangers of what many would call "just a game". It's easy to see how addictive the illusion of living out individual dreams and fantasies - with a persona most would never dare to embrace in real life - can become. When online partners decide to meet in real life, the disillusionment can be great. After all, it's pretty difficult to live up to expectations raised by a flashy and attractive avatar.
Are marriages of people with church affiliations better off? Not likely, since the divorce rate overall is virtually the same amongst church goers. Apparently many feel the same need there to find an escape from their present reality. It's tragic, really, considering that Jesus is offering a "second life" as well - not in a simulated environment that is without difficulties and suffering, and not a self-created illusion of everything we dream and lust for, but something a lot deeper, and it is as real as it can get. In the end it really boils down to the paradox described by Jesus in Matthew 10:39 "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it!"
