A Winter’s Dream in Second Life: Nostalgia, Beauty, and Hope

Preparation for the holiday season carries a certain kind of magic with it, even in Second Life, a virtual world. This time around, I’ve made my decision to decorate my new home, searching my inventory for the old items and combining them with the new ones I bought during the cheerful weekend sales. This act is turning into a passage of time where I am being excited to discover the older but superbly made objects that are still endlessly beautiful.

The house is still a work in progress, yet the festive feel is already in the air. I am reminded of “The Cold Rose“, an old project I and Van completed over a decade ago, by the setting. It is a remembrance of the earlier days, which makes me think of this space as the link that connects the past and the present.
This peace area of the Second Life is not a solitary place for me. A bear has been a quiet, amiable presence in the area, playing around the pond for the most part and fishing in a very patient way. Although I have never seen him catch anything, his big, round abdomen would lead me to believe he has had his fair share of fortune. The touch of whimsy and life he injects into a quiet place makes it so attractive.

Wandering around the virtual environment has given me a very pleasant surprise. The picturesque roads are pretty, and the ambient sounds of nature—although virtual—are truly a medicine for the mind and soul. It’s remarkable how one’s brain finds it a hard thing to distinguish what is synthetic and what is virtual; the feeling of happiness coming from these landscapes is as concrete as any real-life encounter.
Living in such a real paradise would be undoubtedly optimum, but having this virtual utopia accessible, First Life, is a grace. The platform is still a home for artists, their being the people who are feverishly inventing the most amazing and amusing objects.
However, the news carries a somber note when I ponder the uncertain destiny of this virtual world. Lately, we were in a meeting with Linden Lab officials, where among other things, we discussed their agenda for the next editions of the Second Life project. As much as their plans are ambitious, it’s not clear which of the projects would actually materialize. But we believe that the best outcome will be since the users have created something here which is truly incredible—which would be an irreplaceable loss if it went down.
With my heart throbbing with sweet pain recalling the past and full of hope for we know not the future, I have chosen my home and dedicated my attention to the overall beauty of this unreal landscape. Every new addition is a declaration of love to the world I devotedly cherish—a place where the dreams and reality merge districtly.