From A New Perspective By Larree Quixote Covid-19. The Coronavirus. The thing that has all of us socially distancing ourselves from all the other social creatures around us in our real worlds and lives. No one is safe. And no one is happy. Our sports, recreation, and entertainment has been stripped from us. We cannot go out to our favorite local bar, burger joint, or vegan hangout. We can’t go to the gym or have a pick-up basketball game with strangers at the park. We can’t see a play or go to a concert. And not just those evil rock ‘n’ roll or rap concerts, but the opera and philharmonic orchestra concerts, as well. No School. No graduation. No houses of worship. No scouting activities or comic book conventions. And no work if you are considered “non-essential”. Other than banks, grocery stores, hardware stores, or gas stations, almost everything is closed. Covid-19 is the real-life version of those nasty Blue Meanies from The Beatles Yellow Submarine movie here to silence the music and laughter. Covid-19 puts the kill in killjoy. The kill in buzz kill. The kill in “kill the lights”. Social distancing and self-quarantine is the new norm. And I believe the fear will extend long past the eventual end of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The fear of terror, guns, and our planet's rapidly and radically changing weather patterns has been replaced by a killer virus that, as of this moment in time, has no cure. Fear. Fear of crowds. Fear of shaking hands and sharing vaporizer pens with strangers. Fear of doorknobs and faucets. Fear for the safety and health of the people we know and love. Fear of strangers. Where have they been? What have they touched? And the worst kind of fear - fear created by the masters of manipulation, and the evil wizards practicing magic by misdirection. And they… You know, them. They now have us precisely where they want us. Home alone and living in fear. Afraid to gather in any kind of crowd. And not just at our favorite entertainment venues; but also the crowds at protest rallies, marches, political conventions, and even fear of going to our polling places on election days. Yes, they have us where they want us. And according to many of the experts I have heard on the news lately spreading their fear and their doom and gloom, it may be like this for a while. The people we know in RL need an escape from this madness. A release from the stress and depression caused by the isolation we are all being asked to endure. We need a psychological lift. We need freedom, socialization, closeness. I know I need a hug! People need encouragement and support. Especially in trying times like these. And I know exactly what they need. You know what they need, too. The people in our lives who are stuck in the real world need a Second Life®! I logged into Second Life® the other day. I admit I was feeling depressed. Being stuck in the bunker was really getting to me. I needed to hang out with some real people. I was moping around at my place, the Bellisseria Homeless Union House in the region of Ashton Village, and still feeling socially distant and isolated from the world. Just as I was about to log off a notice popped up telling me there was a party going on at the Fairgrounds. Needing a lift, I decided to go check it out. I teleported over and in less than a minute I was dancing to the music and laughing and joking with a wonderful group of people from all over the world. My somber mood was erased and replaced by happiness and joy. Instantly! It was very uplifting, indeed. Exactly what I needed! I hung out for a few hours, and then logged off. And for the rest of the day I felt great even though I was still stuck in my bunker. That’s when it hit me in the head like a region restart just as I return to my desk from being afk. Second Life could be the cure for this Covid-19 mass depression that the world needs. Second Life just might be the only place left on Earth where we can gather in large groups, and dance, hug, and laugh together. I have never heard of a virus being passed from human to human through a computer monitor by pixels! So perhaps when we are checking in on our family members, friends, and neighbors in the weeks and months ahead, we should be offering them the opportunity to escape the real life nightmare we are living and join us on the grid. Invite them to sign up for a free account and get them over to Bellisseria. Let them stay at your house. Teach them all the tricks so they get through their noob days quickly. Show them all the great public areas and landmarks you know. Show them a world where they can get close to people again. I would like to declare a major recruiting effort this month. Start with your family and friends. Especially the seniors in your life. Many seniors are stuck in their homes alone, afraid to even go to the store for eggs and bread. And afraid to be in social situations for fear of catching the virus. You would be surprised by the number of seniors who want to develop some computer skills. Help them out just like you would help any noob on the grid. Imagine how great it would be to bring a few members of your family out here. I am sure they would greatly appreciate family gatherings in the virtual world. It could lift their spirits and give them some hope; a feeling of belonging to the human race again. If we could erase just a little of their loneliness and despair through the Second Life® experience as we ride out this crisis we would be doing great good for humanity. Let’s bring our families and friends together in a beautiful virtual environment where we don’t have to practice social distancing and self-quarantine. A place where our only fears are banlines, crashes, region restarts, and the occasional griefer. So concluding, Covid-19 is a very serious thing. It is dangerous for us, and many of the people we love. And until they come up with a vaccine we will all be socially distancing themselves from the rest of the world for a long, long time. We are very lucky. We have a wonderful way to cope with the covid-19 pandemic. We have our lives here in the virtual world. We have Second Life®. Now let's share it! © 3/26/2020 for Bellisseria LIFE
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