Friday, August 20, 2010

Mirror

I look in the mirror but what do I see
The shell of me that the others see
That is all I choose to show
No one is allowed to see

For to show more
Would show a wound that bleeds
Flowing out of me forever
Never finding another to seal it
It flows as the moon rises and falls
But I do not show it

This wound I hide away
Not allowing anyone to see
For the pain I hide is too great
For mere mortals cannot concieve
Of the Pain I bear
And the Evil I have seen

I look the the mirror and what do I see
A shell of a woman that all others see
But no one see's me

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

The ones that come and go.

     You will find times in your second life where you meet people that you will become close to. The amount of friends that you will make can be outstanding. Some of those friends will just be slight acquaintances that will come into your life for a moment. Sometimes you will see them around rarely and some you will see everyday. Some you will form lasting friendships with that will mean more to you then you realize and others will just bring a smile to your face when you see them. All of these friendships have a meaning and are special. Even if you only talk to them for brief periods, a single IM here or there saying hello, or catching up on what has gone on in your life. You never really know when you meet someone how important they may become to you. You find that out over time. A lot of the people you become close to will stay with you throughout your SL life. Others may drop out of sight for long periods or forever. When this happens you wonder about them and worry. Because we never know what happened to them, we don't know if they just ditched that SL life and started a new one or if something happened far worse. Unfortunately you can't let yourself ponder over it to much because more then likely the explanation is that they just simply stopped playing the game. You can imagine them laying on a calm sunny island somewhere shutting out the world or traveling to some far country if that makes you feel better. It all works as long as you don't let it bother you to much.
     Some of these people you become very close to, feelings change and relationships change everyday. How you handle those changes is up to you. Honesty is important with these relationships and friendships more then anything. A lot of these friendships may turn into more and then you find they don't work out. Do you stay friends or cut them out completely? I say no, they were friends before and they can stay friends. As long as honesty is there and you understand the reasoning all is good. Because basically although the avatar's are just pixels the people behind them are very real and so are the feelings. It is up to you yourself to decide how to handle the friends that come and go. How to handle the feelings that are involved, and the relationships. I believe that if you can stay friends through what ever happens that your life will be better for it.
      Anger and hostility have no place in SL, the whole reason we go there is to escape the drama's and realities of our real lives. Why should we bring that drama into SL? Keep it simple and emotions in check. There is no reason for hate even if things don't happen the way you may have thought or wanted them to be. No reason to stop being friends with all of the people that were associated with you. Unfortunately not all will feel this way and some people will cut all ties with you and others will remain.  It will be those that remain that will be the highlights, those that do not, well you can't let yourself dwell on it. Continue on with your SL life and leave the anger and resentment behind. Because when it all comes down to it, we come here for escape and entertainment. You can't deny it, but you can choose how you react to things in your Second Life. You can live it without resentment and hostility and let bygones be bygones or you can continue your Second Life letting the anger and hostility consume you till you react in an unflattering way. I choose the latter, to live and let bygones be bygones. To keep the friends that you can and let go the ones you can't go even if it hurts, because in the long run it will make for a better Second Life. Second Life is for fun, you may find love and lose it, you may find friendships and lose them too. In the long run however what you do is up to you but keep an open mind and try to live your Second Life in a positive way. Believe me you and the ones around you will be better for it. Throw the anger and hostility out the window and just let it float away on the wind and allow the clean clear breath back in to refresh and renew you. You will benefit in the long run if you can just let it go.
   Because in the end this is Your Second Life no one else's and only you can decide how it will play out. All you can do is do your best, try to keep the friends you can and let go those you can't, and hope to keep as many close to you as possible and not let them go unless you have to. For friendships are important to all of us and we should not allow them to fade away too easily. If they can be saved then save them don't let hard feelings ruin things. Let it go and get over it, it will mean a better SL for you and for those around you.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Making Friends and lasting relationships. Can you do it in SL?

Absolutely!
That is one of the best things about Second Life the people you encounter. Second life gives you the chance to not only make long lasting friendships but relationships as well. You not only get an opportunity to meet fascinating people here but people of many different cultures. All interacting in a setting with no bias and hopefully no prejudice. You see an avatar and you start to talk to him. You can base your opinion on the individual themselves, not their color or nationality. It is a wonderful thing. Yes you will not get along with everyone you encounter but at least you can decide for yourself whether you like that person or not, on your own, without the outside opinions that the world may have put upon you. There are also many who find love in SL. Yes it is possible to fall in love with someone you have never actually seen. I think Second Life gives us the opportunity to fall in love with the real person. Not the outside we often show people. In real life we all tend to hide ourselves inside not letting many see the real us. In Second Life though we can show more of ourselves then others can. Showing people our inner minds that we may hide from others. Being able to create things here that you may not have the opportunity to do in RL. So you may be meeting the person that is more likely their true selves rather then the one they hide from the real world.

Now I am not a fan of SL weddings but I do understand how some would want to get married in SL. They may not be for me but for others they are fine. To have the opportunity to join into a relationship is a wonderful thing and if a couple wants to do that with Second Life vows then who am I to disagree with that. However I do not think they are necessary. I think it is up to the individual and what they want to get out of SL. 

Relationships in SL can be a truly wonderful thing, the connections made here are real and should not be made fun of or dismissed. Is Second life addicting? Yes of course it is and one of the reasons for that are the people that we encounter here. The relationships and friendships made here are just as real as they are in real life. There is no denying that fact, and those that do are fooling themselves. We find friends and loved ones that make lasting connections in our hearts and minds and it is as real as if they were standing in front of us.
So come on in and explore Second Life. Don't be afraid I promise you will meet a broad array of people and personalities that will make the experience one you will want to continue over and over, and soon you too will be addicted like the rest of us!