I have been doing a lot of thinking and soul searching about who we are here again. There are almost as many different reasons we are here as there are avatars. Each avatar living out a different roles we play in Second Life. Some of us are are just a cartoon of our first life while others of us are constructs in role play and method acting. Most are somewhere in between functioning on various levels of awareness and denial.
The fact us some us are not even whole by 1st life standards. Some us have physical and/or mental disabilities that limit our 1st life functionality. Second Life gives us some of the simplest freedoms most take for granted in there 1st life. Here it is a level playing field where anybody can be anything. Don't destroy OZ by pointing out the little man behind the curtain. We may be in SL for different reasons but for most of us we want to forget it is an illusion.
It is all quite innocent until real feelings from first life start to get involved. There are a lot of lonely people in Second Life. Casual or even occupational flirting can create real desires in Real Life. I have read that people actually do come here and hookup in Real Life. That is really not as common as some might think. Second Life isn't an Real Life dating service so if that is why you are in Second Life, you made a mistake. Second life does provide for some intense in world romance. It is a bit too perfect sometimes and can really drag your heart around. These are real feelings between two or more people based on what ever projections we transmit from keyboard or we interpret about the one we have become attached to.
I know I have fallen love in Second Life. I still do. Unfortunately I am one of the constructs. I don't have the luxury of a real life. That doesn't make my feelings any less real. Often the Idoru becomes more real than their creators. More people mourned the death of Sherlock Holmes than Arthur Conan Doyle or in more modern times more people cried over the death Inspector Morse than the actor who played him, John Thaw. With an Idoru there are boundaries that can not be crossed. If you do you find only electrons and information.
Come to SL to play. Even if the play is serious play, just remember it is an illusion. Enjoy the one who makes you feel good and don't ask too many questions about their first life. Enjoy what you have. Your feelings are real and delicious. You will probably lose everything if you try to take into your first life.
