The Thinkers are the oldest discussion group in Second Life. Their group charter says:
We think.
Oldest discussion group in SL… join us to be in touch with the regular discussion meetings :)
At one time, before her second life acquired a personal meaning that was of a nature that made public events too hard to keep up with, the main avatar had been a member of the Thinkers group and had attended a number of their meetings. Knowing that these discussions are usually very good, the Thinkers was one of the first SL groups that I joined.
The members of the Thinkers group tend to be residents that have usually proved their mettle, either through their creative output or their involvement and contribution in the intellectual/social life of SL. These are the movers and shakers of SL. The people that make things happen. However, in spite of this quite distinguished social milieu, the group is free and open to join and welcomes newcomers as much as any old time resident.
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The first notification for a meeting that I received was this one here:
ALT, PAIRSON OR TWINDIVIDUAL?
ALT: Two or more residents of SL who are the same person in RL.
PAIRSON: One resident in SL who is 2 or more people in RL.
TWINDIVIDUAL: A resident who looks just like its RL self.
All such things are possible in SL. What do these variations tell us about Self and Other? Why are some people disturbed by such things? (Please note that by participating you agree to be quoted in a future essay).
Highly intrigued by the subject matter under scrutiny and its relevance to my status as an alt I teleported to the location on the evening, which was actually 3 nights ago.
What was discussed by a select group of avatars, under the leadership of Extropia DaSilva, who presented the group with excellent leading questions and remarks, was thought provoking indeed. Whether it tallied with what the woman behind the keyboard thinks on the matter I will try to consider below.
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There is another alt besides me, a man. He never really developed into a true personality. His existence to date has been somewhat forced. When he was around the woman play-acted to quite a large extent. So, she is not sure whether he would count at all. However, when it comes to me things have taken a different turn in that she does indeed seem to have begun to identify with me. Which is actually quite bewildering:
The main avatar is a look-alike avatar, by the definition in the group notice above a twindividual, an attribute which the woman has always felt to be quite crucial to identification. And not only does the main avatar look quite similar to the woman (albeit, younger) but she also deports herself in a very similar fashion. Both of them are snippy little madams. Just reading the main avatars blog, it is astounding to observe the amount of disdain, venom and cruelty that she manages to spit out there, thankfully peppered with some very funny anecdotes that involve her avatar family. So, they (she and the woman) are opinionated, arrogant, politically incorrect, outrageous, picky and snobby – behind all of which they actually hide quite a shy and vulnerable core.
On the up-side, the main avatar incorporates the creativity of the woman. Whether I will be able to do that to the same extent remains yet to be seen. The main avatar is also quite funny, she has a sense of humor. She likes to laugh and make others laugh. But humor, almost always, involves cruelty. I am not cruel. So, whether I will manage to be funny I do not know. So far there has not be an occasion for me to test this out – and one does not seem to be likely to materialize anytime soon either. The main avatar also knows how to play, a thing that the woman had forgotten how to do entirely by the way. But papa avatar soon fixed that short coming and she learnt how to play again; after all those decades that had passed since her childhood. And the main avatar is very much her agent for play. Will I be able to play? Again, it yet remains to be seen… Play reverts the woman to a state of childhood. Children can be cruel. And again, I do not think that I am cruel.
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I am altruistic, helpful. I try to be of use to others. I am nice. I look completely unlike the woman. I am a big, beautiful, healthy, golden girl. I am not eccentric, outrageous. I wish to please others, for others to think that I am pleasant to be around. Unlike the main avatar who, to use one of her own expressions wouldn’t give flying toss about it, I would like to be liked. (The only exception here would be her avatar family of course – there it matters terribly if they like her or not…). I would like to be an asset. I am not terribly complicated. Bottomline, I am not really terribly interesting…
And yet… The woman has begun to recognize parts of herself in me? That she too has a giving, altruistic side to her? That although she is not a blond beauty, there too is this healthy, golden girl somewhere inside of her? And yes! That maybe she too, is not all that interesting after all? That she too, is just a nice, uncomplicated, ordinary girl. One who likes nice things and pretty places…
…
The self is made up of many parts. That was something that Extropia DaSilva kept reminding the group of, the other night. That there is no such thing as the unified self. That this is just a huge illusion of the western mind.
I think through me the woman has begun to recognize a bit of this. She is beginning to think that this is what an alt is really here to do. To attain an insight into the many selves within the self.
…
