“Don’t you ever let a soul in the world tell you that you can’t be exactly who you are.” ~Lady Gaga
In a month, I will be 6 years old in Second Life. It just floors me how fast time has flown. As I get older (in both RL and SL) I keep thinking about days gone by. Oh to be young again… LOL
When I first joined Second Life, I was young and… well young. Haha I explored a lot more and dated A LOT more. It has definitely been a wonderous roller coaster of a journey.
One thing that I keep asking myself, “what happened to me?” I have definitely changed. Have I grown up? Matured? Become smarter?
When I used to come into Second Life, I was less lonely. I had a great group of friends I would hang out with almost nightly. I had a couple boyfriends (not at the same time…LOL) who I couldn’t wait to talk to. Life was wonderful. I felt like someone special. Somehow I lost this ‘loving’ feeling.
Since I started thinking about all of this this past week, I have gone into Second Life a bit more. I decided to go dancing and meet people. I thought this would help me feel less lonely and more beautiful in RL.
I am at Franks Jazz, right now. There are a lot of people here. I’m sure people just like me, looking for company, a dance partner, someone to connect with.
When I stopped by a couple days ago, I met a really nice guy. We spent about an hour having a really great chat. I felt intelligent, beautiful, witty and myself. He said I was delightful. Sitting here at my desk, I was smiling. No one in RL has ever called me delightful before. No one has ever called me beautiful. (Well no one who is flirting anyway). It felt really really good. I missed that.
Sometimes I think my work on identity has hindered my perception of myself rather than helped it. I try so hard to find myself that I forget to be myself.
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” ~Oscar Wilde
Agnes Sharple
Botgirl Questi
Bumblebee (Wendz Tempest)
Canary Beck
Carissa Arthurine Somerset
Eva Marie
Fuschia Nightfire
George Coghill
Ironyca Lee
Jeremy Owen Turner
Joseph DeLappe
Kathleen Cool
Katie Vizenor
Krista Hoefle
Kristine Schomaker
Lizzie Gudkov
Aero Bigboots
RMarie Beedit
Marmaduke Arado
Isabella Medici
Nadya Tolokonnikova
Nathan Shafer
Pixel Reanimator
Ravanel Griffon
Scarlett Luv
Strawberry Singh
Tabitha Raincloud
Toni Tyldesley
Trilby Minotaur
Vanessa Blaylock
Xue Faith
Yordie Sands
Awesome post, Kris!!!! I do agree with you and Ravenel that there comes a time when too much self-reflection can indeed hinder your perception of yourself. I for one have found that I am happiest when I am preoccupied with something greater than myself – in my case helping animals. That is after all, the thought behind the invention of religion… but let’s save that for another time.
In my case, what has really surprised me about my own identity in SL and RL is how little difference there is. Prior to really immersing myself in the environment, I had, like many I’m sure, heard about individuals (especially introverts like myself) blossom in SL and take charge socially. When I first entered SL, I experienced very intense social anxiety, to the point where I would make sure that no other avatar was in my proximity prior to entering a SIM. I basically had to talk myself into thinking that these other avatars didn’t know who I was and weren’t interested in me.
Slowly, I began responding to IMs from strangers without wanting to run away. It somehow never occurred to me that I could simply log off if I did not like how an avatar was interacting with me. In a way, these initial days in SL were “extra-sensorial” in that what I felt in some situations in RL were amplified tenfold in EVERY situation in-world. Then I stumbled (by sheer luck) on Pirats and they took me in. I guess I needed to feel part of a community, a family, before blossoming in SL. The same can be said of in RL. I still whole heartedly believe that it is this sense of community that is so special in SL. And when you think about it long and hard, the same is true of in RL. Coming back to how I started, doesn’t community, after all allow you to become part of something that is greater than yourself?
Hi Kristine… Delightful is a wonderful compliment! And so is beautiful. I found your comment, “Sometimes I think my work on identity has hindered my perception of myself rather than helped it. I try so hard to find myself that I forget to be myself” made me wonder about where you feel you are headed?
More and more I discover my own approach to SL is different from most, but more and more I discover that everyone seems to have a unique idea about what SL is in their world.