The SL economy, explained

And imagine that is your SL, forever.

Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. -- George Orwell.

Regarding silence and emptiness...

Seems to me that AM Radio really distilled some of this in his SL art, to powerful effect. Can't do that unless you really feel it, I think.

Here's what some others have done with silence and emptiness...







There's a lot of material here. And plenty of seekers who will search for it, I think.

Perhaps it's not 'cool'... but what is cool, exactly?

It would be if I didn't click the IM button every night. They assume you're busy, and don't bother.

If you don't hit the button, it won't happen. You take the initiative. People are just that way.

to those in a dark place today, my regards and hugs.

those pics are very profound, Des.

"Hey, whatever I select." -- The monks of Cool.

That seems like a contradiction in terms. If you face silence and emptiness, why bother making art? There is nobody to look at it.



Sure. If I IM someone, I typically get a very generic conversation about RL with 4-5 minute gaps between the lines. Occasionally, I'll get an invite to join someone in their place. But never any interest in what I might have done.

See the contradiction in your quote?

If he is FEELING it, he isn't empty.

stop using ALL and EVERYONE and NEVER. that is SO not true.

Yumi: if you're not interested in what the other person is doing then they're not likely to be interested in what you're doing. If you're always about you, people will avoid you.

THE SLOT MACHINE
A contribution to the psychology of disappointment

Yes, life is a gamble;
but isn't it mean
that you're never the one
to win it,
when the thing is
a coin-in-the-slot machine,
and you did
put a shirt-button in it. -- Piet Hein

now you're getting it...

hmmmm...let me think about last night's conversations......

nope....no one gave a rat's azz about what I did all day, but that's the way it works.

there were a few gaps in conversation (I assume they had several conversations going, as did I).....and the invites don't always come....if they have "company"....and most people have "company".....because they use their IM button....

or here's a novel idea.....YOU invite THEM.

My experience has been that nobody else is interested in what I'm doing. (If your statement were true, THEY would thus be "all about themselves" and would be rejected, but that's not borne out in reality.) I can be interested in what they're doing, but my turn never comes.

Do you want company and charming conversation? Someone that might show up for a second time?

Or do you want a captive chained to the wall with a gag in their mouth, to listen to your problems?

You can have either in SL, you know.

While looking through Grooks, I found one for you, Desmond:

PRESENCE OF MIND

You'll conquer the present
suspiciously fast
if you smell of the future
-- and stink of the past.

Hm. Though 99% of the time I'm very upbeat, I have experienced depression before... perhaps that is a factor here? During such times *everything* seemed pointless. As in: nothing new under the sun, everyone dies anyway, &c &c. Perhaps all true.

That said, there's a key to getting out of it... and that is to brighten someone else's day. Serendipitously. No guarantees, but I generally recommend doing something random and nice to people when angry/sad/lonely, that sort of thing. At that moment, no matter how small a moment it is, you'll buck the trend of the dark oppressive universe and create a sparkle of joy for *someone*.

If done right, that will cut through the darkness like few things can. (on the other hand, in a couple cases I learned the meaning of 'no good deed goes unpunished'... but try, try again!)

I wish I could be a better friend, but as many can attest, when I'm on the grid I can get upwards of a new IM conversation every 3 to 5 seconds sometimes. That can completely die out, though, usually well after login. It's kinda random ~ I've had some nights where *nobody* IM's me for two hours straight once 20 minutes go by. Mostly it's business stuff, some friends shouting a quick hi, and a few incomprehensible things like "the campfire u sold does not work" (true story ~ and I had never made a campfire).

Yumi, it tickles me to think what would happen if we swapped avatars for a week. Sounds like a great machinima film ~ if anyone makes it, we'll split the rights!

"The IM's... they won't stop... my god how many people does this guy know???"

"Ahhh... SO peaceful... this is heaven!"

Hah! Love it

The first would be nice, but what I want is the third option.. someone who actually cares about the things that exist in SL, instead of just being the same as talking to them on a talker.

Reread my sentence - this time, more carefully.

"The reader, who he has always in mind to inspire, I'm guessing."

If you know that nobody is reading, then "having the reader in mind" means having no-one in mind. And that isn't very inspiring.

Art is art. Writing is art. If you've ever written, you know it comes from a passionate place within. My guess is he wrote it for himself. That anyone reads it is a bonus. That someone appreciates it is magical.

*nod* But if you want to do art purely for yourself, you can do it on your local machine. Why pay for tier unless you're expecting someone else to look at it?

because it is self fulfilling. why do YOU pay for tier?

Self fulfilling? You mean that people are sure to look at something because you expect them to? That doesn't seem right..

Because I can't back out of the island split deal without leaving the other people involved high and dry.