Touched

It seems odd, somehow. Our avatars lack true body language. Our gestures are limited. Often our avs don't look at each-other, but sit or stand back to back. We lack so much subtlety of expression, tone, gesture.

Yet somehow it is easier to touch people here. Friends are made so very quickly, and hurt can be so sudden and so deep. Is it that our avs are our inner selves, bereft of protective layers of meat, walls of expression, and the thousand subtle physical movements of social expression. Are these things then barriers rather than communications channels? Yes, and no.

Forced to express ourselves in words, plain textual words, we speak in a different voice to the one our fleshy selves regularly use. Most of us hardly notice the difference, I think. We seem like ourselves to ourselves. The opportunity for misunderstanding is greater, because of the lack of subtle expression, but being largely confined to the world of words, with gestures becoming mere emphasis seems to bring our feelings and our thoughts closer to those to whom we are speaking.

You can see the inner heart of some people. Look at Miles05, in The Forest. It's not just that he has his heart on his sleeve. His heart is in everything he does. Builds, gestures, jokes. You look at it and see the artist's feelings and thoughts looking back at you.

And Nova Linden. Look at her forum av and her postings. And on the rare occasions you are in the right place at the right time to see her in-world, rushing from one job to the next. In everthing she does, you can see herself shining through. Nova always makes me smile.

Ginny Gremlin. Uncertain, caring, but fiery. Passionate about what she does. Patient, sometimes beyond patience with those who are deserving. Rather less so with those who are not.

Every day I meet new people. Some fleetingly, as we move about our seperate courses. Some I feel genuinely touched by. Too many to list. Too many to see as often as I'd like. And, ultimately, I don't necessarily agree with everyone about everything. That doesn't matter. If I did, we'd hardly have anything to talk about. :)

(26 days)