=^..^=

I do not doubt that many do need a break, nor do I doubt that it may be beneficial to some. But it seems a bit much to me when people assert that everybody *must* take a break from SL from time to time.

In SL I recently lost a good friend. He felt that he was not living his RL and decided to make a clean break and take care of his affairs until he knew he could return and not use SL as a total escape from his problems. I have a good feeling that once his life is in order, the people he left behind in SL will bring him back.

I don’t have a huge emotional attachment to SL. I do have one witht he friends I’ve made there, but as they have other things, such as plurk, or even traditional email, or an IM account, there’s ways I could keep in touch if I were to stop logging in. As you say, SL is a place for what I want to do, not what I want it to be. I can see myself taking breaks by just not logging in, but I don’t see myself “leaving” SL. For me it’s a lot lie many of the web forums I’ve been a part of, but a hell of a lot better. Just like those forums, I’ve made good friends from SL, and that’s what draws me back.

Losing people you have found a connection with happens all the time, in a virtual world. And I’m not just talking second life, but things like hobbyist community forums, social networking sites, and even your favourite blogs. The global village talked about back in the 1980s does seem to have come into existance, particularly over the last few years. But with it comes the recognition that walking out of the village is as quick as shutting your laptop case. People on the internet are migratory, and some of those are the friends you think you’ve made.

I went into Second Life for one reason – writing, and knowing very little about it. I have found several writing groups and meetings I am beginning to feel proud to be part of, but I’ve found much more – as everyone else already knows about. I am enthralled enough to happily accept that I remain in the honeymoon period with Second Life. I don’t like meeting particularly jaded older residents, ones who immediately start dissing Linden Labs, or moaning about the stability – at least not all the time. I don’t want my honeymoon period so quickly moved into everyday life, by people who would obviously rather not be there. But as an analyst and with some technical knowledge as a background I can’t help myself from opinionating – often niavely – anyways. Because I care, I guess. As those people still do. I don’t want my honeymoon destination ruined, I guess. Not just yet.

Today, I received some exciting RL news towards the potential adoption of a new child into my family. With that comes re-thinks about how I will be able to spend my time, and where the best value will go. At all times, RL must take precedence. As do my RL jobs. My life, much as my second life environment remains in transition, ever changing. That’s possibly one of the appeals of Second Life as an entity also, that it can also accomodate such changes, and perhaps with not as much upheaval as found in a first life. Time, I’m sure, will tell. But in such a drastic life change that may be in front of me, I think there may be a possibility of a hiatus smack in the middle of my SL honeymoon period, which may be an interesting factor to look at.