Suppose I tell you that there's a party going on in a virtual world and you are invited. Don't worry about how you look, you always look great there. Don't worry about what you have to wear - everything is free or pretty cheap. Don't worry about a date - there are TONS of other people there. I can't PROMISE you'll have a good time, but it's happening...you should totally go. Would you answer:
a. People? Great clothes? Interaction? I must attend. I will literally die if I do not attend. I MUST GO.
b. A party huh? Hmmm...do I have to meet new people? I'm interested...
c. A party where? With what? Oh, sorry, I have a lot going on...I am just not sure I can spare the time right now.
The correct answer for a reasonable human being should be B. or C. and last month by the time I decided I had enough of SL taking over my life, I would have probably run screaming. If you asked me the same question today, I would probably say C - but before I got my head screwed back on straight, it would have been "A" all the way. I love a chance to meet and hang with friends and even make new friends.
There is a small place in my life for SL right now...connecting with friends that I really care about when we run out of time to email and need to talk one-on-one, or giving the creative parts of my brain a chance to run amok by decorating or photographing and also allowing myself the pleasure of continuing to edit and proofread here and there. I am not the best writer on the planet - I never claimed to be...but if I see a grammer error, I like correcting it. :) Plus I have established a great relationship with my publisher boss-lady. I enjoy hearing from her and getting work from her. For me, SL is now a controllable distraction where I can spend a few minutes, a half hour - whatever - and then walk away completely free of the time .
It was not always that way for me, however. There was a time not too long ago that I was completely OBSESSED. And I mean that in the most dire sense of the word. Somewhere in the mix of obsession, addiction and habit is where I got caught up in Second Life. I have discussed addiction previously and I have touched on the idea of SL being a habit in the past too - but I haven't really talked about obsession - although it has been at the forefront of my mind lately. I think this week I will tackle that. In a rough sketch,
* overcoming obsession with SL itself
* overcoming obsession with relationships in SL
* overcoming obsession with things in SL
* finding a balance between obsession and healthy behaviors and attitudes
Now, a little song about obsession. Embedding was disabled, so I have to include it as a link here.
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