How Much Time Is Too Much Time in Second Life?

You become what you think about all day long.

Ralph Waldo Emerson 

            Recently, I met a friend in Second Life (SL) whom hadn’t seen in a while.

            (I’ll ignore Significant Other’s comment that maybe she had been avoiding me and her luck just ran out.)

            My friend explained my not seeing her as arising from a short vacation in Real Life (RL) and then just getting away from SL for a bit to reconnect with RL.

            This brief conversation got me thinking (This is when Significant Other usually starts

to worry.) about how much time spent inworld could be too much time.

            I don’t have an answer here.  (Significant Other’s jaw drops.)

            And, no, I’m not copping out here.  I do have an opinion but it’s an open ended one.       

            Every individual is inworld for his or her own reasons. One size won’t fit all when it comes to how much time is appropriate to be inworld. 

            No two people are in SL for the same reasons.  There are probably more reasons than there are people.  Some are here to escape from RL and have a life more aligned with their needs whether these be emotional, intellectual, curiosity, or whatever.  Some are here because they are needed inworld.  The ministry of First UCC comes to mind here. 

            Maybe the question really is, “Is there really such a thing as too much time in SL?”

            As with anything, good or bad, excess is generally not recommended. (Significant Other wants to know if I mean that a little bad can be good.  Philosophy is one of Significant Other’s strong suits.)  If someone is harming their RL relationships or ignoring their RL

responsibilities then the amount of time spent is irrelevant because of the deleterious effects.  If RL friends and family wonder where you are all the time then yes, the time spent is harmful.  (Significant Other freely admits to knowing where I am all the time currently as opposed to when I was wandering around the world in RL in jets.) 

            Each of us inworld has our own Goldilocks solution to how much time is spent inworld and that should be enough.

            A break, every once in a while, from SL is probably a good thing.  (Not to worry, I’m not going anywhere.  My recent unscheduled absence from SL is enough for me for now.)  Reconnecting with RL will only make us appreciate SL more upon our return.

            I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic and learn how much time you spend inworld and how do you determine when enough is enough.  Just add your comments here on this story or drop me a line inworld. 

            I look forward to hearing from you!

As always, I’m grateful to all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives. 

My Twitter handle is @webspelunker.  Please feel free to follow me and I’d be happy to follow you.

I can be found on Google+ as webspelunker Ghostraven.

My flickr Photostream is located here.

On Skype I’m webspelunker Ghostraven.

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

            If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

            Open roads and kind fires!