Pen Pals
by FEMAELSTROM, HSM team writer
I was thinking back to an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. The episode was called “Pen Pals”, and it made me think about our relations on Home.
In the episode, the gold-faced android named Data is observing a dying planet and hears the scared cries of a little girl from the surface. Data, being a character that is basically emotionless, save for some budding moments, breaks protocol and responds to her, breaking the first and most critical rule of Starfleet: The Prime Directive. This is a law of non interference — to not interfere with less developed cultures. Data, though, is compelled to speak to her as he hears the fear in her voice. I thought about this premise one night as I reflected on a young man I met at the Edo space.
As a forty-five-year-old man, I often hesitate to befriend kids. This is simply because from my view, I don’t know how comfortable I would be if I had a fifteen-year-old son that was chatting with a man in his mid-forties. As a man, I feel (for my own comfort if nothing else), it is probably a good precaution.
When it comes to others in Home, I ask this:
Have you ever heard fear in the voice of someone here in Home?
Have you ever read the words of a desperate person looking for friendship?
Have you ever sat and thought that there are people here in Home that absolutely need the contact of other humans?
Somebody should sell these, they’re awesome, right?
In my walk through Home, I have. And to be frank, it tears me up inside to hear the needs of people that are strangers in open places or the lamentation of those around me as my friends. There are those who see Home as a place for broken or needy people. They are here, and in a way, we all are in some way broken or needy. This is, in its own way, not a bad thing. We are people, and we are all in need of social interaction and want to be interacted with. So again, I do not look down on this aspect of Home life.
We openly converse with people and share our issues and worries, and when we are not initiating the contact, others are doing so with us. We share intimate details of our lives and seek the comforting wings of shade that our friends provide us.
Long ago, I discovered a phenomenon, a thing that happens to many people when dealing with phones and now online — we as people are more willing to share intimate details when we are not seen. We can at times divulge the most intimate things when we are anonymous, and sit behind the screen of distance or technology. The knowledge that it would be hard to face the person you just confided in, makes it more comfortable to say whatever we desire when facing a monitor or TV screen as opposed to a person face to face.
Am I criticizing this? No. Am I saying that this is something that needs to be fixed? No. Am I blaming any entity for the way that this happens here in Home? Certainly not. This is the human in all of us wanting to reach out and know that there is another human out there reaching back. It is a basic human want, and here, we are really all looking for that connection. A connection to remind us that we are all worth something to somebody — for some, romantically, but for most, just the attention of being a friend.
Is there a point to this seemingly random collection of thoughts, you ask? Yes there is.
Those here that are reading this are probably a more responsible group than most Home users (HSM’s reader – and writer – demographic does tend to skew towards the twenty-five and up crowd). And thus with the idea that we are more mature and aware of the community at large, I believe that it is important to hear the voices that call out in the dark. Sometimes it is hard to listen and hard to hear, but I think we have the obligation to help others.
Some may say that we are here for our own fun and enjoyment, or we are not licensed counselors. I respond by saying this: yes that is true, but with a caveat. Which is this – that we are people, and each and every one of us can do the simple deed of listening to a friend, or visiting somebody we know, on the off chance that someone needs a little cheering up, or basic human contact.
We are all pilgrims here. We are all making our ways through a land of strangers. And sometimes we need the help of those around us, and sometimes we need to help those that reach out a hand. This recalls a line from another classic sci-fi show, “Firefly”: “When you can’t run, you crawl, and when you can’t crawl, you find someone to carry you.” There are some people out there who can’t run, and they can’t crawl, so they ask for a hand.
Reach out beyond the screen.
I know that the circle of friends I have are very in tune with this concept, with a few notables going above and beyond the call of duty, and so I speak this as a general concept for all of us here on Home. Put your ear to the railroad tracks and hear the sounds of what is around you. Without knowing it, you could easily help a person who may just need a friendly, helping hand or an open ear or the sound of a voice as a lifeline. Yes, sometimes it can be overwhelming if you listen to everyone and anyone, but at least we should all try to make an effort to see how our friends are doing, and make sure that we strengthen our community bonds by way of an occasional invite or just pop on by to where they are in a public place.
We are truly in a web, in that I have my collection of friends, and others have theirs, and we collectively know many more people than any one of us alone. We form a web of humanity that can drag across Home and help our friends and strangers to better not just our community, but ourselves.
Let’s answer that call in the dark. It may just make a difference that you may never fully grasp.
April 26th, 2013 by FEMAELSTROM | 3 comments
FEMAELSTROM came to Home in June 2011 and never wanted to leave, even at weekly maintenance when he usually gets booted. The sand box environment appeals to the explorer in him and often is out and about as he ‘geeks’ out dressed like some sort of sci-fi character, while he people watches in popular public spaces. An artist and writer, FEMAELSTROM loves making friends and meeting people. He loves sci-fi and decorating Home estates and loves to respond “here” when people ask “where are you from?” in public places.
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Nice read Strom. I have always felt that Home is just like any other place. Behind every avatar is a real person, so that means all the real things that go along wit it. Nice think piece!
Helping others is the epitome of being human. When we think of those outside ourselves and put their needs above our own for awhile, we touch what we were created for, to love one another and love others as you love yourself. All of us have needs, all of us have a story to tell and the need for someone to listen to it. Nice subject Strom, I love the way you express yourself and the way you touch deeper subjects.
When I was a youngster we often did not want adults around such as at play, perhaps baseball or hide and seek. When they came around we had to watch ourselves and behave (pffft!) and even watch our language. We had places to go though like in the woods. Once we did that and found a hidden small cave supported by wooden supports. Maybe someone built it years ago to sleep in or even some children built it to play in. More than likely as small as it was, it was an attempt at mining. So we had our fun and someone thankfully told some adults about it. The adults got some dynamite and blew the damn thing up!!! As I recall we were understandably a little disappointed and also completely understanding of why it was kaboomed. Might have been better then if adults had been present but they can’t be everywhere then or now.
I’m wondering if children (13+ to 16 or so) should have their own space. I don’t know. Home is make believe so maybe it doesn’t matter as long as people get along. Still, there are evil people in the world. I never saw Star Trek: The Next Generation so I don’t know whether Data did right or wrong and it was just a story. The question arises when do we intercede and when do we let the children play?
(I don’t feel like paragraphs today.)