Second Life–one of the latest venues in which man is allowed to escape reality and create one of his own–has reached the big time in its relatively short existence. Large corporations such as Adidas, Sony, Dell Computers and Toyota are venturing into it, which indicates the game’s growing popularity. At present, most use the site strictly for advertising, which reveals their opinion of it. Such commercial giants as IBM, American Apparel and BMG do not waste valuable advertising money on small markets. However, a few are venturing into sales of virtual goods such as automobiles and clothing. The world-encompassing Reuters news outlet has opened up a bureau in S.L. Politicians and colleges are also using the site, the latter offering coursework in that nether world. Virtual libraries have been established and weddings and funerals have been conducted in-world, indicating that people are taking the game seriously. An indication of how much the game resembles the real world, it is reported by one source that free-spending residents are purchasing (and selling) such things such as beachfront properties, wearable items and jetpacks. Payments can be made using credit cards and PayPal. One source reported that over one and one half million residents had logged on in the past 60 days.
If desired, religion is also available to S.L.’s residents. In what has to be the most open type of religious services takes place when virtual congregations comprised of a wide variety of religious groups meet weekly for discussions. In some locations, young people gather in public places such as school auditoriums to watch the proceedings on a large screen. What is it that makes this digital fantasy world so alluring to so many people? teens being a rapidly-growing part of the S.L. world.
The consensus is that people want a better world. The stated goal of S.L. is to allow its residents to create a world better than the one in which they live. The only way to do this is to allow each person to create his/her own world and to change it when one grows tired of his/her most recent one. Some people are taking the fantasy to a whole new level.
One such group, calling its ideology “Other Kin,” believe that they are human/animal composites. These people medically alter their appearance in order to look like the creature they believe themselves to be. Some, fancying themselves to be part feline, have long whiskers tattooed on their faces. Some alter their noses, lips, etc. to resemble their Other Kin. Some have their teeth filed down or lengthened to resemble dogs, jungle animals, etc. One example stands out in my memory. This fellow, believing that he is part parrot, had his ears removed (parrots have no external ears) and wears a large beak and feather mask that covers his head nose face.
A Time Magazine article stated that Second Life “functions as a therapist’s couch on which you learn about yourself by safely exploring your darkest desires” (Dec. 16, 2006). Considering what is happening in today’s world in which there is little respect for law, government, social customs, rules for human life, etc., can man be trusted to create a mental world of decency dedicated to the well-being of the society? Does anyone believe that if allowed to allow his “darkest desires” to come to fruition with no fear of reprisals, mankind will construct anything of real value. And if history is our teacher, we know that what a man thinks is often manifested in physical, real world acts. The Bible tells us that everything begins in the mind. Little imagination is required to realize what man’s “darkest desires” will produce when man’s mind is allowed to roam free in the real world. A check of the daily national news tells us that this is already happening. What will the next few years bring? To be continued. L.J.
Leave a Reply