It uses images from Second Life in a Christian music video. I watched, curious about how denominations are being represented ... (Can you tell which is presented by the images offered?) Initially, I was impressed by the Cathedral's re-creation, then I reacted to what seemed like a marketplace for religious articifacts embedded at the end.... Wondering what significance those images held, I followed the link at the end http://www.peacebella.com/.I was struck by Peacebell'as description of her Second Life experience and her husband's activity online... there is an obvious tension in her writing about her husband's and society's emphasis on money... one of her sites is titled "money sick".... and the constrast she presents through her faith and beliefs throughout her sites, videos and writings... check the list of tags that make the words used most often the biggest.... as well as her site see http://www.peaceinspiration.com/faith/jesus-wisdomchristianity/
"Peacebella" is a pseudonym so we don't know who she is... http://www.peaceinspiration.com/about-me/
I keep wondering about the elements of her ecology that formed and fashioned her...
2 comments:
I found the music video interesting and engaging, but as I began to click through Peace Bella's various sites and comments, I was disturbed. I think in large part because of the various posts about her husband's apparent addiction to Second Life. Although I have never gotten into them, role playing games are fun for many and provide for an escape into a playful fantasy world. I think of Dungeons and Dragons and even SIMS as examples of this. All the while though, people know that they are games. The notion of Second Life, seems to allow people to try and escape into a new reality, alienating and destroying many in this real life. Peace Bella relays this with regards to her husband, and my partner's sister-in-law has family members who have done the same thing. Their whole lives revolve around an illusion, and negate their ability to deal with people in real face to face relationships. Jobs suffer, finances suffer, day to day responsibilities go by the wayside. My question is what has caused these people so much pain and disallusionment to need to develop a new identity and escape to a new dimension? What does this say about the sanctity of our God given lives when we must escape them? For me, Christianity calls us to come to know and express our authentic selves as examples of the Gospel in the world. How do we do that by retreating to a fantasy existence as an alias?
Lisa
I just watched the meditation and I was most struck by the presentation of avatar bodies in cyberspace. My initial reaction was that her pink halter top is out of place in a cathedral..but then I got to notice how stylized the avatars are. Are there any avatars that are overweight? Or wear less than trendy cyberclothes? Or not blonde? I am going to look at Second Life to investigate this. I hope that the cyberworld does not add to the already insane pressure we have on how our bodies should look from other purveyors of popular culture, like magazines and television.
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