What Anniversaries Do You Celebrate in Second Life?

An anniversary is where you look back at having either fulfilled Cinderella or Lord of the Flies.

Fernando A. Torres

A recent spate of anniversaries in Second Life (SL) got me thinking. 

(Significant Other wonders aloud what will get me thinking about our anniversary.)

We’ve had the fourteenth anniversary celebration for SL, 1920s Berlin’s annual observance of its founding, and, of course, the sixth anniversary of my blogging inworld.  

There are plenty of other less formal anniversaries in SL too.  There are rez dates, partner/marriage anniversaries, and numerous others that I’ve probably overlooked in my

meanderings.  (I’d like to point out here that I’ve never missed any anniversaries with Significant Other.  I may have come close but never missed.) 

This has gotten me thinking about what do all these anniversaries mean to us?

In Real Life (RL), celebrating an anniversary is all about remembering an event or recognizing an ongoing relationship.  We come together with friends and family and have a good time.  These are happy occasions for the most.  (While in RL, sad occasions are often remembered by anniversary observances, I haven’t come across any recurring memorial observances for either events or people.)

Is what we do in SL any different from RL?

What do we do inworld?

We come together, we remember, we celebrate, and we do it over and over again, year after year?

Still with me?  (Significant Other’s face has its “What’s the point of all this?” look on it.)

Why do we do this?

In answering this, I’m not going to distinguish between SL and RL. 

Something else, have you ever stopped and considered that only sentient creatures (that’s us humans) observe anniversaries?  For example, when was the last time your pet dog got upset with you because you missed its birthday?  Do you even know its birthday? 

When we have anniversaries, we’re remembering happy times for the most part. 

We’re remembering the people who were with us then even if they may be gone now. 

We’re reaching out to our community for emotional support.

There’s that word “community” again!

We’re just not disconnected individuals inworld.  We’re not pieces on a board in a game somewhere. 

We’re part of a community, albeit virtual, but we belong!

And, that’s why we observe anniversaries inworld, to remember that we belong somewhere! 

Please drop me a line and let me know what anniversaries you observe in SL especially if it’s not one I’ve mentioned!

If I get enough replies then I’ll do a follow up story, or, better yet, invite me over and let me meet you and your community! 

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!

What Makes You Happy in Second Life?

Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.

Robert A. Heinlein

Recently, I’ve received a series of good news in Real Life (RL.)

Accordingly, I’m happy!

Not to worry, I’m normally pretty happy in RL but lately my smile’s been a bit broader.  (Significant Other is bouncing around merrily too, I’m happy to report, and is nodding enthusiastically as I write this.)

Then, this got me thinking.

(At which point, Significant Other exits the room claiming I’ll only spoil the mood.)

What about Second Life (SL)?

(Are you surprised, after all, this blog is pretty much only about SL!)

What’s being happy about inworld?

(I’m being an optimist here and assuming that we can be happy in SL.  Further, I’ll stick my neck out and say that being happy inworld can also make us happy in RL!)

What are the things that can make us happy inworld?

Friends are just as valuable inworld to our happiness as they are in RL.

Some go further and fall in love inworld.  Enough said about that!

Communities can make us happy in SL.  Friends and neighbors sharing a common purpose are a wonderful thing wherever they are.  And, let’s not forget the socializing!

Solitude is what does it for some and SL is a great place for that. 

For some, building and exploring are what makes them happy inworld. 

Have I missed anything?

I’m sure I have because the ways to be happy in SL are countless.

(Trust me on this, I’ve tried counting!)

What about me?

What makes me happy in SL?

Actually, it’s changed over the years.

Originally, just rezzing in, exploring new places, meeting new friends, and having new

experiences was enough for me inworld.

But, now, I think I’ve grown.  (I ignore Significant Other’s comment that it’s about time.)

The friends I’ve made over the years, I look forward to meeting and sharing with.

There are communities that I enjoy returning to and participating in their daily life.  (I won’t get into whether they enjoy me returning.)

However, the lure of the open road inworld still makes me happy.

Discovering and exploring an exciting new build makes my day!  Even if, sadly, these are fewer and farther between. 

But, what about you?

What makes you happy in SL?

Anything that I’ve listed here or do you have your own source of happiness?

Please share it and let us know!

There are many ways to be happy inworld and we all benefit when we learn about them.

SL can be an extension of our RL and we can be happy in both?

For after all, have you ever met anyone who comes inworld to be unhappy?

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!

Are You Lonely in Second Life?

All great and precious things are lonely.

John Steinbeck

           “Are you lonely in Second Life (SL)?”  

          This question arose in my mind as I wandered across the Grid inworld not too long ago.  (Significant Other has always been uncomfortable with me alone in my thoughts for extended periods of time.)  

          How could I be lonely? 

          I have many friends inworld, three loyal readers, and I meet new residents all the time in the course of my meanderings.  (We’ll ignore Significant Other’s observation that I have more friends in SL than in Real Life (RL).  It’s that a lot of my RL friends don’t like to talk about these things in public.  Really, that’s all!)  

          I think back to my original purpose in coming to SL.  

          I was here to explore and write.  (Also, ironically, to be able to spend more time with Significant Other in RL.  Long story there.) 

          I was not going to put down roots or get involved in inworld communities.  I remember receiving my first invitation to friendship and wondering if I should accept it.  

          So, what happened?

          I have many friends inworld and am involved with several communities.  (Significant Other asks if they’re just too polite to evict me.)  

          I have sister now!  (Even if she can be a pain in the neck as little sisters often are.)  

       

   I even go to friends’ weddings now!  

 

          Why did this happen?

          Was I just lonely and didn’t realize it?  Was my subconscious at work here or had I been kidding myself all this time?  (Significant Other says this wouldn’t be the first time.)

          Or, does SL work to include despite my own intentions and feelings?

          I’m always receiving IMs from friends either checking in on me or inviting me somewhere.  More sims appear to have thriving communities than before.  People reach out to me for no apparent reason.  

          Could it be something else?

          If it is then I’m clueless as to what it is.

          I’ve drawn a conclusion here.

          It’s very difficult to be lonely inworld. 

          There are just too many people reaching out and connecting with me for to ever be lonely. 

          But, I’ve also noticed something else here.

          Lonely people in RL come inworld for companionship.  (Don’t worry, I’m not going to out anyone.) 

          I’ve met people who have come inworld in search of human company because they’re either physically disable in RL, geographically remote from others, or just find it hard to reach out and connect with others in RL. 

          There are groups inworld like First UCC that provide either social or other support activities to these lonely individuals.  No one has to be alone in SL. 

          In my wanderings across SL, I keep coming back to SL being more than a game.  It’s a viable social network, albeit anonymous but strong! 

          What your thoughts on being lonely in SL?

          Please share them with my readers and me and I’ll try to have an update on this topic

sometime soon!  

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!