I had some notes I'd written out regarding some of my own experiences dealing with the online world. Now that the world is a much different place from when I was a youngster and personally I worry about my young extended family regarding the virtual world now I though I would share.
A little insight about me: ~20 years internet use so you could say I have a nose for the fake and scams.
- Worked in IT jobs in many different roles so understand security, and more important interaction among human people across computer systems.
-~10 years online gaming in which i've seen a lot of tricks/behaviours employed by seedier members of the online community.
Anyway here is what I have to share and please message me about any queries regarding negative experiences you are having online.
It is in every beginning whether we chose to see it or not. It is the reason we chose to place ourselves in situations that will somehow augment our human lives and the lives of those whom we share our journey with.
~~~~~~ Promises of role playing ~~~~~~
Immediately you enter a realm in which you are assigned a role very different to that from which you can assume in real life. You allow your mind to focus on the proposed 'image' of yourself; i.e., the refined model image in your own mind, not the body you were born in control of.
~~~~~~ Your home and your family ~~~~~~
Even in a virtual space a human mind will create a home in order to feel normal and to block out torment. Our choices regarding our home and those who we let into our home occur in the subconscious, the control centre of who we are and who we were always meant to be.
~~~~~~ Status (& Monetary wealth) ~~~~~~
When we reach maturity and are walking the seemingly endless avenues to find our start, we will meet peculiar sorts of people. They will be dressed differently, they will look differently, and yet they are all the same person. They will often offer us something we are looking for, or something that seems to good to be true.
Our world works around the transfer of material commodity, money. A hard working person minding her or his own becomes a target to those who grief; i.e., targeted actions by a group towards an individual. Attempts will be made to isolate a person if they don't take a free gift or be 'bought' by a group, who are basically just carrying out a cleverly crafted scam.
~~~~~~ Image (& how do I define myself) ~~~~~~
Mentioned earlier we spoke of the 'proposed image of ourselves', the perfect, vain and godlike idol that we want to present ourself as, directly to others. Our complex social interactions demand it. We expect incredible things of one another in our social settings. Our demands are so great and we easily allow ourselves to become upset when people do not achieve or adhere to a proposed image within our manmade concepts of age, or status, or passing of milestones.
With the passage of time we have spent unnecessary moments thinking about what we should be rather than focusing on, and loving, who we were born to be.
~~~~~~ How I define myself is relative to those around me ~~~~~~
We previously discussed that social interactions are complex and will, whether we like it or not, be based on image and status. We will then fall into social groups with a shared goal or interest in mind. The problem that occurs once a group has been established is generally 'power moves' between members.
To keep it simple, groups generally always have a structure in which there is a founder with cast-iron principles and anyone that does not agree with or adhere to these principles is out. To a mature mind it's no big deal if signals get crossed and members have petty arguments and disband at times. For younger minds however this could cause an emotional response if it is not reinforced that life always moves forward and that every experience, good or bad, is one to grow and learn from.
Another problem that can occur is the elitist approach to optimising tasks. We all want to do our best; to have equal opportunities, access to the correct tools for the job and to not be hindered by petty obstacles. What is often observed in groups is an intense focus on optimising productivity, generally tasks measured in productiviy by the hour or minute --even seconds in some scenarios! This puts too much stress on individuals who believe in doing a task, but understanding why the task is done and doing it in a way that feels comfortable to them personally.
Those who conform will generally do fine to an elitist organisation will be treated fairly. Those who choose to perform their own way will no doubt learn the hard way to develop a thick skin. They will be ridiculed time and time again by individuals who are in such a rush that they fail to appreciate what the quality of individuality means.
~~~~~~ If we listen we learn ~~~~~~
It's true that negative experiences in life can be overwhelming and can create memories that linger within our minds for unspecified amounts of time. Allowing ourselves emotion, even extended negativity, is no sin. To feel is to adapt, and to adapt is to learn.
A mature mind soon learns that those with whom we play the game of life with, strangers or otherwise, are as complex and twisted as we ourselves are - in our many disguises. Our minds often help us create barriers or mask ourselves in the face of relentless real-life conflict.
All hostility and war is flawed. Conflict begins when we no longer believe that every young human soul will grow and bring with them unique inspired ideas. Each individual person has a unique role to play in this life; Each is deserving of life and has a story, or word of warning to impart upon us - all we need to do is listen with patience.
This applies to not only in online gaming scenarios but in online interaction, generally. I was really inspired to write something like this and post it here because down the line I truly worry about my younger extended family being negatively impacted by the monster the internet has become.
Please reach out with any questions you have and I'll try and help. There are no silly questions. :)
Peace and love