Church on Sunday....

Second life is full of surprises.

Just when you think you have a handle of things, something creeps up behind you and surprises you while your guard is down.

I've been to The White Armory a few times, HUGE store and often a free gown for members, a magnet as such for Gorean ladies with a thirst for dresses, but that is an aside here.

I had explored a few times and seen the Cathedral before, it's beautifully done and I had taken photos for here.

For some time there have been notices out in group about services, there is one at noon SLT every Sunday. I had never been.

I don't quite know why last Sunday, I had done what I was doing in my City, my partner had logged, I was hovering between things I might do and then the notice came and I thought “why not” and went.

I have written before about the fantasy/reality line (or blurring of it) and here it was in evidence again....Church filling up from the back, men out-numbered by women 4:1. I was not on a Sim, I was in Church, no question about it.

What followed was, for me, a moving half hour for which I was completely unprepared. It focussed on the Eucharist/Communion/Lord's Supper (depending on your background). It must be 2 years since I was last in a Communion Service – a variety of reasons, God and I both know where the other is but not a lot of formal visiting has been done lately.  

By chance I had arrived at the 1^st Communion service at this Cathedral and took Communion for the 1^st time in ages.

Without going into a full theological discussion on the subject, I come from the strand that focusses on the symbolic act rather than the physical elements, that the change occurs within the communicant. It occurred to me that this really was Communion stripped bare to it's very essence.

For a whole host of personal reasons that would mean nothing here, I can only reflect on the event and say a personal “Wow!”

Paint the Whole World with a Rainbow.....

Have you ever wondered what it must be like to be a Linden? I don't think I'd like it, well....the heady power, the sense of creation etc. would all be very nice but being able to take a creator's perspective on some of the things we do here must be quite frustrating, I am sure there are times when they must want to bang pixellated heads together and tell people to grow up.

Imagine, Chris** Linden sits on his/her sky-platform, more thousand feet up than we can imagine and watches......... (imagining opening scene here from.... well, lots of films). The perfectly-crafted clouds part showing Chris' favourite environmentally-adjusted sky and as he/she admires the latest creations on his/her favourite locations, a satisfied sigh escapes Linden lips at the latest wonders below. But then some avatars come into focus. They are on a beach at the water's edge (hmm that wave arrangement needs tidying but Chris tries not to let it get under Linden skin), always amazed at the level of intonation that people manage to get into text, Chris eavesdrops – its in local and he/she is a Linden after all.....

Geoffrey, George, Bungle and Zippy seem to be airing some differences, Zippy seems to have activated some poses to show displeasure, if zips can pout he is pouting! George is seated slightly to the edge of the (standing) group sitting on a purple pineapple and is looking glum, Geoffrey's AO gives an aloof air as he paces and Bungle.....well, he's a Furry and is looking....furry.

Now Second Life does draw odd groupings together – that is part of the joy of it so no one except maybe a newbie would give a second glance to such a grouping and Chris really has seen it all before and worse!

Chris listens and while doing so, wonders about the offline lives these avatars inhabit, he/she has done this often enough to realise that whatever characteristics people decide their avatars will have, it is only a matter of time until their real life personalities become clear, it shows in their sense of fairness...honour if you will, and especially in the way they deal with conflict and that is becoming clear at the moment.

George just can't understand why drama happens, why can't everyone just be nice? He will never understand how people make their lives complicated – never mind not being able to resolve conflict, he can't see how it gets to that point! This argument doesn't affect him directly, but it still upsets him – he is glad he brought his purple pineapple to sit on it makes him feel better.

Zippy just continues to shout his case to any who will listen, and to plenty who are not listening too (not that he notices that). It's by now an old story and to be honest one that will never change, a true “A said/B said” case where people feel aggrieved but will not relinquish what they believe, same old same old.

Chris mischievously wonders if anyone would notice if that zip suddenly got stuck.

Geoffrey paces, caught up in his thoughts, he's glad he bought this AO, it looks good, it supports the air given by the choices he has carefully made in building up his avatar, his hair, shoes all very carefully chosen. He can hear his friends chatting away in the background but is formulating an idea.

Bungle has had enough. He knows his furry face lends him an inscrutable air but he is tired with this circle of events, again and again and again. He thinks that if this can't get sorted out by the people here someone else will need to step in. They are on this beach now because one of them is banned from Rod's sim, another from Jane's and Freddy has made it clear he wants none of them there. He is thinking that an abuse report to a Linden might resolve it but has heard different stories about doing this.

Chris decides this is the point to withdraw, not another AR filed to Linden! The place is awash with them. Chris is thankful that these reports are not his/her problem (Chris is a specialist in certain fancy textures) – phew!!

Perhaps the guys are right, eavesdropping is not good, it's depressing! People never change, it just goes on and on.

…........

I must say clearly here that no individuals or individual avatars are portrayed here, this is a portrait of “Everyman”, a generic reflection.

As I wrote I considered where my own character lay, I firmly believe that we rarely shed our real character when we put on our avatar, it usually comes through. I think for myself (and for many of us) there are many different bits and pieces of the Rainbow present in me, which bit rises to the surface depends on the circumstances.

** At time of writing no Chris Linden exists.

  

Paint the whole world with a Rainbow.......

(Rainbow was a children's programme aired in the UK in the 1980's )

Enough!

People say that they try to acknowledge their mistakes, yet reiterate the same "mistaken" belief in the same post.
Oh dear.
I had hoped all that rubbish and mud-slinging had ended, that emotions had settled, stubbornness eased that common sense (sadly, seldom common) had prevailed.
I have bitten back comments on the advice of others who have counselled  "ignore it, it will go away" but it doesn't, it hasn't.

There is always a risk in putting 2 and 2 together and seeing a great deal more than that in the answer, even those who are mathematically inclined seem to do that.

To give a pertinent example, just because an avatar teleports into my home, falls asleep there on my sofa....to presume that we did more than talk is to make more than 4 from that equation. 
Not only has more than 4 been made but people have been maligned on the basis of that supposition for months.
I assume that to find him and see him there, may have involved teleporting to his location (uninvited by me, the owner) but I am not throwing any accusations around because it is pure supposition and I have no evidence. 
Others could learn from this approach, but I doubt that they will.

It is worth remembering that when 2 people are together, on S/L just as in R/L, they are the only ones that truly know what passed between them. I am one of the 2 in question, it is not anyone else's business but in the interests of FINALLY killing this dead and restoring reputations, here is what happened.

On a date in August, I got a message from a good friend, we had not been more than that for quite some time. he was clearly upset and wanted to talk so I offered a teleport. 
Friends do that for friends whether they are dressed or not.
He arrived at 12.27 SLT - very late for him and the beginning of my evening for me and I was in full Gorean garb ready to go to my village. 
Our chat lasted until 12.41, 14 minutes, and he fell asleep, logging at 13.23. 
Our chat is private but my advice to him included suggesting he burn no boats and get some sleep.

And that folks, is it.

I know people have been told they owe me an apology, I doubt that I will get one and, to be honest, for all this to just go away would be good enough. My friends know me and do not doubt my integrity. 
However the name and standing of another has also been muddied by all this "mistaken" belief and that put simply is unfair.
If, as reflected upon in the opening sentence, people are ready to try to acknowledge their mistakes, then they have some work to do.


I don't know if I will leave this post up, the whole issue carries an unpleasant taint so I am stating now, at time of writing, that it may be taken down at a future point.