Why Second Life Is Good For My Real Life

*I live in a place where there isn't too much green or trees, and my lifestyle at present doesn't permit me to get away too often to where there are trees. Being in Second Life with all the beautiful greenery -- it has done my heart so good, lifted a great spirit burden; which thus leaves me better able to live in my "green-less" Real Life.

*I have often opined that I need several parallel universes to do all the desires and ideas and things I want to do in life. In RL, I've simply had to jettison some of my enjoyment and talents in order to focus on some crucial priorities. I don't regret this as far as RL. However, voila, here I am in SL, and I have many of those parallel universes now. For example, the fact that I am going to set up to DJ. Music is a big part of my soul, but I haven't had a lot of room in RL to fully express it. So I'm looking forward to the SL opportunities.

*I am being trained in finances. I can make mistakes and have successes in Ls (Lindens) with consequences in SL, but not huge repurcussions in RL. But the way I'm starting to think and the confidence I'm getting obtaining my own Ls is spilling out over into confidence and skills in real dollars.

*I like the liberty that is in SL. You can be bad or good. You can be sexual. You can be PG. You can have a war. You can have peace. You can do anything. You just might have to do it on your own property or in zones set aside. If you don't want combat or non-PG going on you can say so and enforce it with, at least, a ban. But other than reporting abuse, there is a certain anarchy that exists in SL. That means how you personally govern yourself is what you get, for better or worse. There is no central government. Most people honor the boundaries of others. There are people who go about making trouble, as I've experienced first hand. But I like the expectation that we are to be adults and to respect others. I also like the view this gives me of how to operate similarly in RL.

[will add more]