Comments on: The Danger of Virtually Living http://www.thechangeblog.com/virtually-living/ Change Your Life Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:11:20 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Does Technology Control You? | Empower 2 Go | Martin Casper http://www.thechangeblog.com/virtually-living/comment-page-1/#comment-10334 Does Technology Control You? | Empower 2 Go | Martin Casper Fri, 08 Jan 2010 05:36:50 +0000 http://www.thechangeblog.com/?p=1027#comment-10334 [...] we have become so dependent on these devices that we have lost that “human touch“. We live our lives behind Twitter, Facebook, text messaging, and emails to the point that [...] [...] we have become so dependent on these devices that we have lost that “human touch“. We live our lives behind Twitter, Facebook, text messaging, and emails to the point that [...]

]]> By: How to Press the Reset Button On Your Life | Riysa http://www.thechangeblog.com/virtually-living/comment-page-1/#comment-7111 How to Press the Reset Button On Your Life | Riysa Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:02:04 +0000 http://www.thechangeblog.com/?p=1027#comment-7111 [...] media, instant messaging, text messaging and screen to face, it’s hard not to get caught up in living virtually. While there’s nothing necessarily harmful or wrong with these things, it’s easy to forget the [...] [...] media, instant messaging, text messaging and screen to face, it’s hard not to get caught up in living virtually. While there’s nothing necessarily harmful or wrong with these things, it’s easy to forget the [...]

]]> By: Kimberly http://www.thechangeblog.com/virtually-living/comment-page-1/#comment-6133 Kimberly Tue, 10 Feb 2009 19:19:14 +0000 http://www.thechangeblog.com/?p=1027#comment-6133 I must say that this blog definitely comes at a time where I needed to read it most. I am currently in the process of healing after a disasterous fight with my "virtual" significant other. I have been in a severe depression for over a week due to the damage it has caused to my self-esteem and my trust in others. The other facet to this is that I am married with children in my "real life." This online relationship, I am finally seeing, has affected my relationships with family and friends to a point that I was rarely taking time OUT of my virtual environment--the game Second Life--to interract with flesh-and-blood people. I have been immersed in a fantasy world for over a year now, and although the love and emotions I had (and still have) for this man are real, I have come to realize that they are also very dangerous. While it is difficult to truly trust someone 100% that you have only met in the confines of the computer, it is equally as difficult (if not more so) when that person betrays that trust. I found myself fantasizing of a chance meeting, pushing my wonderful and REAL family away for a life that I felt in a way was real, just in virtual form. I am still hurting, still healing from the pain that has been inflicted and still is to some extent. It is difficult if not impossible to know what truly lies behind sweet words whispered over the wires. The problem I see now is that you cannot truly get a grasp on how a person is thinking or feeling simply through chat (in this case, both text and voice) and pixellated contact. The flesh to flesh, face to face indicators of emotion are absent from the scenario, and in my case have left me in the dark as to his true feelings and intentions. How can one love and trust in that other individual that they in turn love them equally without this? As I am experiencing now, it is impossible. Likewise, an emotional affair is more dangerous than a physically-based one in that it centers wholly on WHO WE ARE. It changes us because our emotions and mindsets are constantly morphing into what we want the other person to perceive us to be...not who we truly are. And, in the process, we become strangers--unrecognizable to the people in our physical world. To the author of this blog--thank you so much for posting. In reading, I have gained some insight into the matter I am currently experiencing. The first step is to distance myself from the virtual world (ie. Second Life) and to find my true, flesh-and-blood self that has somehow been lost in all of this. I just may come to realize in the days ahead that my online relationship is/was just what I knew in my heart at the beginning it was--a fantasy. Kimberly I must say that this blog definitely comes at a time where I needed to read it most. I am currently in the process of healing after a disasterous fight with my “virtual” significant other. I have been in a severe depression for over a week due to the damage it has caused to my self-esteem and my trust in others. The other facet to this is that I am married with children in my “real life.” This online relationship, I am finally seeing, has affected my relationships with family and friends to a point that I was rarely taking time OUT of my virtual environment–the game Second Life–to interract with flesh-and-blood people. I have been immersed in a fantasy world for over a year now, and although the love and emotions I had (and still have) for this man are real, I have come to realize that they are also very dangerous. While it is difficult to truly trust someone 100% that you have only met in the confines of the computer, it is equally as difficult (if not more so) when that person betrays that trust. I found myself fantasizing of a chance meeting, pushing my wonderful and REAL family away for a life that I felt in a way was real, just in virtual form.

I am still hurting, still healing from the pain that has been inflicted and still is to some extent. It is difficult if not impossible to know what truly lies behind sweet words whispered over the wires. The problem I see now is that you cannot truly get a grasp on how a person is thinking or feeling simply through chat (in this case, both text and voice) and pixellated contact. The flesh to flesh, face to face indicators of emotion are absent from the scenario, and in my case have left me in the dark as to his true feelings and intentions. How can one love and trust in that other individual that they in turn love them equally without this? As I am experiencing now, it is impossible.

Likewise, an emotional affair is more dangerous than a physically-based one in that it centers wholly on WHO WE ARE. It changes us because our emotions and mindsets are constantly morphing into what we want the other person to perceive us to be…not who we truly are. And, in the process, we become strangers–unrecognizable to the people in our physical world.

To the author of this blog–thank you so much for posting. In reading, I have gained some insight into the matter I am currently experiencing. The first step is to distance myself from the virtual world (ie. Second Life) and to find my true, flesh-and-blood self that has somehow been lost in all of this. I just may come to realize in the days ahead that my online relationship is/was just what I knew in my heart at the beginning it was–a fantasy.

Kimberly

]]> By: Artisttheking.com » How to Press the Reset Button On Your Life http://www.thechangeblog.com/virtually-living/comment-page-1/#comment-6091 Artisttheking.com » How to Press the Reset Button On Your Life Sat, 07 Feb 2009 14:43:12 +0000 http://www.thechangeblog.com/?p=1027#comment-6091 [...] instant messaging, text messaging and screen to face, it’s hard not to get caught up in living virtually. While there’s nothing necessarily harmful or wrong with these things, it’s easy to [...] [...] instant messaging, text messaging and screen to face, it’s hard not to get caught up in living virtually. While there’s nothing necessarily harmful or wrong with these things, it’s easy to [...]

]]> By: Life Clerks » How to Press the Reset Button On Your Life http://www.thechangeblog.com/virtually-living/comment-page-1/#comment-5972 Life Clerks » How to Press the Reset Button On Your Life Mon, 26 Jan 2009 23:00:39 +0000 http://www.thechangeblog.com/?p=1027#comment-5972 [...] instant messaging, text messaging and screen to face, it’s hard not to get caught up in living virtually. While there’s nothing necessarily harmful or wrong with these things, it’s easy to [...] [...] instant messaging, text messaging and screen to face, it’s hard not to get caught up in living virtually. While there’s nothing necessarily harmful or wrong with these things, it’s easy to [...]

]]> By: How to Press the Reset Button On Your Life « Ed Personal Growth blog http://www.thechangeblog.com/virtually-living/comment-page-1/#comment-5853 How to Press the Reset Button On Your Life « Ed Personal Growth blog Thu, 08 Jan 2009 06:27:29 +0000 http://www.thechangeblog.com/?p=1027#comment-5853 [...] media, instant messaging, text messaging and screen to face, it’s hard not to get caught up in living virtually. While there’s nothing necessarily harmful or wrong with these things, it’s easy to forget the [...] [...] media, instant messaging, text messaging and screen to face, it’s hard not to get caught up in living virtually. While there’s nothing necessarily harmful or wrong with these things, it’s easy to forget the [...]

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