Carmen Sandiego

My sister, brother, and I are quick to admit that we had nerd-like tendencies as children. We loved to play school. Tom and Amanda were two years older than me, so they took great satisfaction in teaching me everything they knew from their studies. It put me at a pretty good advantage in school. It also helped me be awesome at Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego.

Oh, the age where kids' shows were both cool and educational. Where a capella vocal groups were welcomed with open arms. Where kids' game show contestants wore awesome blazers or matching jumpsuits,

climbed apparatus that looked like a McDonald's play place on crack, and got slime dumped all over their heads. Back when kids actually knew where the countries in Africa were located, and not because they "googled" it.

The good old days.

I have to admit, I was a fan of all of these shows. They were some quality material. But there was one show that stood head and shoulders above the rest.

Carmen Sandiego.

Bad Guys (and girls).

Bad hair.

Bad cartoons.

Really bad puns.


Totally awesome.


Hit it, Rockapella.

I admit, I was doing some very necessary research for this post and got caught up for quite a while watching vintage WITWICS video on youtube. I'm telling you. This show should be on the air today. I would watch it faithfully. I can't get enough.

A couple of the videos I watched were of kids winning the legendary Africa map. If there were ever a totally legitimate usage of the word epic, it would be reserved for the winning of the Africa map.

You know what I mean. You're watching the show, eating your after school snack of cheetos and chocolate milk, and you see the poor sap in braces who made it to the final round hold that plastic phone to his ear as the criminal who's now behind bars tells him "look for Carmen in Africa." The kid tries not to look devastated, but defeat is written all over his face. No one celebrates getting Africa. "Phew. I'm relieved I got Africa. Here I was worried I'd get something hard like North America. Or Europe."

You at home are in shock. You raise your hands to your cheeks to gasp in sheer horror and leave an orange cheesy smear across your face. But you don't even notice. Why? Because Africa is on the line. Who cares about processed cheese slime on your face when Africa is at stake?

Cue Rockapella. "where do you wanna go? whoa-oa. Think about it!"

The kid writes down in the secret leather portfolio all of his hopes and dreams for his trip with one parent. Just one. The other one will have to pay his/her own way. This isn't The Price is Right. It better be good. He had to defeat Africa to win this trip. I hope he picks some really cool place. He won't pick a lame place, right?

Then something amazing happens. It's like magic right before your eyes. Some people will remember the day the Berlin wall fell. Others, the Kennedy assassination. If you're really old, Pearl Harbor. I'll remember the day Africa was defeated.

Arizona. I have nothing against Arizona. But, Arizona? At least he didn't say New Jersey. Or Iowa. Something like that. Arizona's pretty cool, but I remember watching a kid who actually chose to go to Kentucky for his prize. Unless you're really into baseball bats, horse racing or Corvettes, move along. Nothing to see here.

That's what I call winning big and shooting low for your prize. That's like winning the showcase round of the Price is Right and saying "You know what, keep your brand new car. I'll just take that china set I won and could you validate my parking?" If I win Africa, I want to go to Africa. Ride me some elephants or something cool like that.

A lot of times we do that in our own lives. I've been thinking about the greatness and goodness of God lately. God is so great and mighty, yet He's good enough to allow us to have full access to Him.

But do we take advantage of it? Or are we satisfied with New Jersey?

"It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
— C.S. Lewis (Weight of Glory and Other Addresses)

How are we missing this? How do we become so blinded that we can't see what God is offering to us? We aren't even aware of what we're losing out on.

I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire!
So I became greater than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. And with it all, I remained clear-eyed so that I could evaluate all these things.
Anything I wanted, I took. I did not restrain myself from any joy. I even found great pleasure in hard work, an additional reward for all my labors.
But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless. It was like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.
Ecclesiastes 2:8-11

Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.
Psalm 73:25

Where is our desire?

Where is our satisfaction?