Luna Bliss

IKR, and it's really messing up my ability to argue with people. I got an offline appearing to agree with me but it was actually a different discussion on a previous day, and so I had a missed opportunity to argue more with her

lol hey I was trying to calm Rowan down a bit!

I once fancied doing that. What part of the country are you in currently, or are you on the road?

I will certainly not look that up....lol.

Often a new renter requires quite a bit of attention/time to become acclimated, so I don't think it's unfair for landowners to discourage high turnover rates. Same as in 1st life, although there are undoubtedly the 'greedy landlords' we all hear about who go beyond simply discouraging high turnover rates.

They have many expressions similar to human emotional expressions. Widened eyes when fearful, for example. I realized recently I'm teaching a kitty to look me in the eyes more. I'd read that for many animals looking at each other with a direct gaze is a sign of aggression, so I imagine that's why it's not natural for them. But after many months my newest kitty is looking at me right in the eyes when I pet her So it appears I'm conditioning her and she's overcoming an instinctual response.

Have you ever made a real friend in SL...gotten to know them...talked in depth about their experiences in both 2nd and 1st life? People do have different expectations when this has occurred.

Please remove the name of the business. We are not allowed to name and shame on the forum.

People were separated from the rest of humanity for 40,000 to 50,000 years on a remote Island continent are of course going to have a different world view from the rest of us due to a difference in selective pressure. To put some perspective on it the Ancestors of the Australian Aboriginal people traveled to one of the world's most remote places when Both modern humans and Neadertalls were competing with each other in Europe they were an extremely intrepid people As as Anthropologist I am still wrapping my head around how this could have happened https://allthatsinteresting.com/ancient-australian-dna-south-america But tribal instincts and including of "others" is a well documented anthropological phenominon we all do it and it is most assuredly not a thing distinct to "Western" cultures. I LOVE studying the aboriginals of Australia... Yes, I agree that "tribal instincts" were/are/can be in Aboriginal people as well. But as I said in the second line of what you quoted: "They seek to exist in harmony with the world rather than conquer it". I think this is what's important when comparing the differences between the Western mindset and many Aboriginals. The Western mindset seems to always want more, more, more...whereas the mindset of many Aboriginal tribes seeks to live in balance with all that surrounds them. There's actually a name given for the greedy mindset I'm speaking to -- Wetiko (virus of selfishness): https://exploringyourmind.com/wetiko-virus-selfishness-native-americans/ Unfortunately, this selfishness is at work, labeling men and women in destructive ways that frequently limit their potential, as our OP has discovered how differently he feels when taking on the opposite gender.

I don't think you have to worry too much, as far as I know. It seems to me most people post on the forum with one identity/name.

It is faster and more expedient for one to give up the tyranny of expectations then to wait for others to become more sensitive. yes, but you should give up your expectations as well...and realize that many are not playing any kind of role or game. Then, you can negotiate with this person.

You are taking what you want and making it the default by labeling the other side as having an "unrealistic expectation". But I don't think either 'camp' is 'right', rather there should be a sensitivity from both sides as to how this could affect the other negatively, and so minimized when possible.

It's classic 2nd life comedy drama -- two men pretending to be lesbian women in a relationship in 2nd life, discover they are actually both men in 1st life.

I'm going to return too, maybe as Luna instead of my new 'pretend I'm a newbie' alt. I told a friend about this and she wants to go there to help. She's done a lot of social service type work in 1st life and likes to assist others. She was especially excited because it stresses the SL viewer that she always uses and loves.

Not meaning to nit pic but most wild animals have miserable lives. They have to struggle to survive on a daily basis, from finding food and water and often don't enjoy comfort, stability, or good health It's possible though, that any life form would be happier by living in the present moment without concern for past and future, even if they did not have "comfort, stability, and good health".

That's frightening and I think the minority of people here post as some persona. What if Rowan is a persona?

I don't RP inworld and certainly not in the forums. I engage with everyone as myself. On my previous avatar, I was the same as I am on this one. RP characters, I'd assume, wouldn't fall into the same category and that isn't what I'm talking about. It might not always be roleplay though -- it could be that people are showing a different side of themselves. I guess we'd need to define 'roleplay' and 'identify' thoroughly to suss this out.

yeah, I generally don't like caricatures of ANYthing. Perhaps if done right though....could be funny. Maybe lots of pot is needed during the viewing..lol.

I'm sorry but if someone I already know in SL creates an alt and then engages with me with that alt without my knowledge, that is deceitful. I think most people would find it kind of cringe-worthy as well. Why is it any different on the forums? The forums aren't RP unless I missed the memo. Hmmm...well I do see your point. But for me it's dependent on how 'close' I am to that person, how much I consider them a friend, as to whether I'd feel a sense of betrayal. Perhaps some who interact in various alts on the forum don't feel a forum is where there are real friends? And so they can't imagine others would have the perspective that all on a forum are friends, or a type of 'family'?

Personally, I don't feel it's deceitful if they engage with others in whatever name/alt they choose -- they are just representing different parts of themselves. My only problem is if they do so to gain an advantage over others.

I pretty much agree, but if we look at cases of those with Dissociative Identities (formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder) we can see that the same personality does not always "shine through", as you say. So I think, basing from the above, it all depends on how much someone identifies with their alt, how much they are "into them". When actors are able to do this to a laudable degree we give them Academy Awards.

Our long-term, million year old evolutionary traits (known as norms in the field) do not change, no. The thinking layer on top of that, morality and ethics that come out of our three uniquely human traits—death awareness, imagination, and complex language—can, yes. We do move the arrow very very very very slowly towards better change, but at the same time behave exactly like we did 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent. We just hate on slightly different things these days. As Justin Gregg points out in his recent book, If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal, people come up short. We act irrationally, against our best interests as a species in both short- and long-term scenarios, because of these three unique attributes ... people come up short in terms of living decent, happy, content lives compared to most species of animals. We create pain and suffering intentionally, something no other species does. Additionally, we lie and deceive in a way no other species does ... to actually modify another human's behaviour. Every other animal deceives only for survival, that's the norms layer at work. And yes, I consider humans not a pinnacle, but rather just upright animals. Those three traits have helped create everything from civilization to art and music, along with genocide, lies, inequalities, warfare, division and strife. Billions have died and suffered because we are what we are. But this is getting way off the OP question into more philosophy and behavioural studies about the human mind. I don't subscribe to the scientific materialism worldview you're referencing here. I'm more a Terence McKenna kind of gal. Even the physical world is just an imagined one. Much like the icons on our computer screen are not what they denote, but instead only represent what they are denoting, the physical world is just an icon, a representation of something deeper. The physical world is malleable as much as the other levels you cite. And so there is nothing that cannot change. This isn't to say humans are not going to come crashing down in the coming decades, and possiblly even become extinct. But yes, I believe life overall progresses to become more conscious, and that this is possibly even the purpose of existence, although teleological frames of reference are varied and need to be examined fully. I'd more say it's just the nature of consciousness (consciousness as always present, and not a product of evolution, and life forms accessing this consciousness in varied ways according to their physical structure, but not absolutely limited by it). In some ways humans are a "pinnacle", as you say, but in other ways not. So yeah, for sure, our OP does not need to remain stuck due to past conditioning/socialization.

LOL you win the forum today

ok, so first you (Bagnu or Sandor) were together with Tali, woman and woman and now the two of you are together as man and man you mentioned Jung...cirleen, this is not in any of his books

This is why, when we need couples therapy, it must come from within SL.