The real secret of Second Life

[Love Zhaoying]

37 minutes ago, Persephone Emerald said:

Just to clarify, we are not here to diagnose or treat anyone's addictions or psychological issues.

Please tell that to Luna again. As often as needed.

Her repeated amateur diagnoses are extremely insulting, insensitive, and harmful. 

[Luna Bliss]

11 minutes ago, Love Zhaoying said:

51 minutes ago, Persephone Emerald said:

Just to clarify, we are not here to diagnose or treat anyone's addictions or psychological issues.

Please tell that to Luna again. As often as needed.

Her repeated amateur diagnoses are extremely insulting, insensitive, and harmful. 

Can you point me to a comment where I've done such a thing to any individual participating in this thread?

Edited April 25 by Luna Bliss

[Arielle Popstar]

4 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:

I do believe (my perspecctive) that we are all on the planet growing toward a better way of being, or at the very least we should/could be.  No need to cite anything religious.

I would suppose we are all given the opportunity to within the various paths we tread, how we each individually use that time is the challenge.

Quote

It's a shame when our participation in SL becomes a negative experience (an addiction as was cited by the OP) rather than an opportunity to grow in healthy ways

One can grow even from the negative and the unhealthy ways at least can point out they are not as satisfying as one might have hoped. That can take longer for some then others. I'm really slow in that regard!

[Arielle Popstar]

6 minutes ago, Love Zhaoying said:

Her repeated amateur diagnoses are extremely insulting, insensitive, and harmful. 

I missed that, can you point out to me where she did?

[Bree Giffen]

Forget addiction. I want to know what Second Life really secretes.

 

Secrete

verb (1)

se·crete si-ˈkrēt 

transitive verb

: to form and give off (a secretion)

🤤

[Luna Bliss]

2 minutes ago, Arielle Popstar said:

Quote

It's a shame when our participation in SL becomes a negative experience (an addiction as was cited by the OP) rather than an opportunity to grow in healthy ways

One can grow even from the negative and the unhealthy ways at least can point out they are not as satisfying as one might have hoped. That can take longer for some then others. I'm really slow in that regard!

Agreed, you can grow from existing in the negative for awhile -- it points to what one doesn't want in life.  What I find upsetting is when people stay stuck in a negative pattern and can't grow/move on.  Some do, sadly.  One thing for sure, you'll keep butting up against the problem until you do change!

It would be interesting to know of those who became addicted to SL and used it to basically hide from life, yet moved on to use SL in healthy ways that fostered a better way of existing.

[Arielle Popstar]

5 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:

Agreed, you can grow from existing in the negative for awhile -- it points to what one doesn't want in life.  What I find upsetting is when people stay stuck in a negative pattern and can't grow/move on.  Some do, sadly.  One thing for sure, you'll keep butting up against the problem until you do change!

people who are stuck unfortunately remain that way until their eyes are opened in a meaningful way and that simply doesn't from convincing arguments but from within oneself. There but for the ___ of ___, go I.

Quote

It would be interesting to know of those who became addicted to SL and used it to basically hide from life, yet moved on to use SL in healthy ways that fostered a better way of existing.

Even then such people will eventually have to look at why they were hiding from aspects of life. Something I could afford to do myself with the amount of time I spend inworld and on the forum.

[Luna Bliss]

12 minutes ago, Arielle Popstar said:

23 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:

Agreed, you can grow from existing in the negative for awhile -- it points to what one doesn't want in life.  What I find upsetting is when people stay stuck in a negative pattern and can't grow/move on.  Some do, sadly.  One thing for sure, you'll keep butting up against the problem until you do change!

people who are stuck unfortunately remain that way until their eyes are opened in a meaningful way and that simply doesn't from convincing arguments but from within oneself. There but for the ___ of ___, go I.

Quote

It would be interesting to know of those who became addicted to SL and used it to basically hide from life, yet moved on to use SL in healthy ways that fostered a better way of existing.

Even then such people will eventually have to look at why they were hiding from aspects of life. Something I could afford to do myself with the amount of time I spend inworld and on the forum.

Added to all these insights, is that fact that SL is seldom used in an either/or way in terms of being addictive/not addictive (if we're using 'addictive' in a common usage type of way and not as a clinical definition).   What one uses SL for can vary according to any given day or month.

Edited April 25 by Luna Bliss

[Ineffable Mote]

Often when I log into SL I'll just sit and park to multi-task or afk through the day, returning and glancing in now and then, I wouldn't call that an addiction but I'm aware that it ends up being an energy vampire, even just in the most mundane literal sense of the term. Internet forums tend to be a lot like that and always have been...a lot of lack of understanding and people coming from places of fear, healthy exchanges and introspections are an important part of lives too (and I'll posit that as the real secret, or at least a doorway to it, while I'm here).

Edited April 25 by Ineffable Mote

[Love Zhaoying]

1 hour ago, Dyna Mole said:

Hi gang!

As a gentle reminder, please remember that the focus of the thread is on SL, not on clinical discussions of addiction in RL. I know it's a fuzzy line, but try to stay on the SL side of it.

Thank you!

[Luna Bliss]

All I know is that I'm on my very last region @ the Fantasy Fairre area comprising 20 regions, and I'm going to be very upset when it's over!!   And if I've become addicted to FF then it's their fault!!!   ;0

I'm using the forum as an addiction to prevent the ending of my Fantasy Fairre addiction!       ...... I better go chant and meditate..

Edited April 25 by Luna Bliss

[Love Zhaoying]

One day, those addicted to Second Life and other games will spend much of their lives in "pods", so they only experience the game.

I am reminded of Halloween Jack, who when they pulled him from the oxygen tent, asked for the latest party.

[Cinnamon Mistwood]

I think the secret to SL is the 2 main reasons most people seem to be here.  They either want to expand their real life for a while or they want to escape it for a bit.

I do a little bit of both.

[Persephone Emerald]

I will share a secret of the SL forums. 

When a thread gets noticeably dramatic or one person is irritating you, resist the urge to post. Just watch and wait.

[Arielle Popstar]

On 4/24/2024 at 8:03 PM, Charlemagne Allen said:

[16:58] Charlemagne Allen: how did you hear about SL?
[16:58] sfskfjweoweirweirwep: I saw it on a documentary about video game addiction.

Can you imagine the furor if SL was to curtail the online time of accounts like the Chinese did with their youth?

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63730316

The Chinese government has blamed rising gaming addiction among young people for:

• rising "myopia"
• poor concentration
• mental-health problems
• sleep disorders

[Love Zhaoying]

13 minutes ago, Persephone Emerald said:

I will share a secret of the SL forums. 

When a thread gets noticeably dramatic or one person is irritating you, resist the urge to post. Just watch and wait.

But..but Mom!!!!

 

[Ceka Cianci]

The real secret is, Getting the math right.

[Kalegthepsionicist]

SL secret,be honest , and direct.

 

 

 

 

[Anna Salyx]

Shhhhhhh,.. if you want to know the "real" secrete of second life, watch The Thirteenth Floor.....

 

[PheebyKatz]

On 4/25/2024 at 2:34 AM, Conifer Dada said:

Even those people who say SL and RL are one and the same and warn 'fakes' to stay away probably have a secret alt. or two for when they want to be 'fake' themselves!

They make it possible for a lot of up-and-coming photographic models to make a living, too. One of my exes had an entire portfolio of photographs she bought from a model to use as her SL pics. If I recall, her profile even said, "just don't play games with me, keep it real".

She got mad every time I picked on her for that.

[PheebyKatz]

On 4/25/2024 at 4:34 PM, Luna Bliss said:

Agreed, you can grow from existing in the negative for awhile -- it points to what one doesn't want in life.  What I find upsetting is when people stay stuck in a negative pattern and can't grow/move on.  Some do, sadly.  One thing for sure, you'll keep butting up against the problem until you do change!

It would be interesting to know of those who became addicted to SL and used it to basically hide from life, yet moved on to use SL in healthy ways that fostered a better way of existing.

I should read all the pages before posting in threads. Seriously.

For what it's worth, I used to be one of the most toxic people on the internet. All of the worst that exudes from people originates in pain, and when they try to connect with others as a way of easing the pain, and the toxicity leaks around and drives others away, a person who can't see that they are the one who needs to heal their own heart will tend to simply take it out on everyone else.

It's a desperate attempt to cling to a false self-image created to explain why people don't like you without it being all your own fault. At least in my own experience it was.

I was powerful, smart, capable,  charismatic, and charming, and the rest of the internet were the pheebs. How dare they not realize how great I am? I'll show them all!

Every troll I've ever met in SL was like meeting myself in a past life. Like looking at old pictures of myself.

I like to think Second Life has helped me to make some positive changes in how I view myself, others, and the world. If it hadn't, my friends list would be empty. So yeah. I may not be all that good at being a friend, but then I hadn't much practice back in childhood when everyone else was learning how to do that. The difference between now and then is that I actually want to be a friend to others and not just have friends for myself.

[usedcars]

its not a game.  people consider it because they are are using it on a computer or other device.   There is no plot or story  and I am not getting any points or power ups.  its like an animated social media platform.  there is addictions to it.  I think some of us whether we admit to it or not had a bit of an addiction to it even at first. 

[Midnoot]

You guys ever heard of the gaming grandma who played skyrim? Or the gaming grandpas who play forza. I'm sure there's plenty of older adults who play the Sims,  which is far closer to second life . Don't be ashamed to admit it. :3

[Garnet Psaltery]

On 4/27/2024 at 8:55 AM, Anna Salyx said:

Shhhhhhh,.. if you want to know the "real" secrete of second life, watch The Thirteenth Floor.....

 

I watched it yet again just the other day, it being a favourite go-to along with Terminator.  It made me chuckle to see the date on a newspaper towards the end.

[Love Zhaoying]

On 4/27/2024 at 9:08 PM, PheebyKatz said:

I should read all the pages before posting in threads. Seriously.

For what it's worth, I used to be one of the most toxic people on the internet. All of the worst that exudes from people originates in pain, and when they try to connect with others as a way of easing the pain, and the toxicity leaks around and drives others away, a person who can't see that they are the one who needs to heal their own heart will tend to simply take it out on everyone else.

It's a desperate attempt to cling to a false self-image created to explain why people don't like you without it being all your own fault. At least in my own experience it was.

I was powerful, smart, capable,  charismatic, and charming, and the rest of the internet were the pheebs. How dare they not realize how great I am? I'll show them all!

Every troll I've ever met in SL was like meeting myself in a past life. Like looking at old pictures of myself.

I like to think Second Life has helped me to make some positive changes in how I view myself, others, and the world. If it hadn't, my friends list would be empty. So yeah. I may not be all that good at being a friend, but then I hadn't much practice back in childhood when everyone else was learning how to do that. The difference between now and then is that I actually want to be a friend to others and not just have friends for myself.

I wish all Trolls could read what you wrote, and see themselves in it!