With Balance….
Just to recap, so far we’ve touched on RESPECT & WILLINGNESS TO HELP, as being some things that are essential for promoting positives in our community. Today’s topic? We’re going to talk about BALANCE.
Everything in moderation… maintaining balance.
To be honest, most of us here, well.. we just plain love our game. Every scrap of information we come across, we hungrily devour, and we take that information and quietly dream of future adventures and relish in the joy that is coming once we are able to login again. Our minds sometimes wander while at work or school, and we plan amazing things.. things that unless you are a real life Indiana Jones, you’d never experience in our regular lives. Some of us may even honestly admit that we might be “slightly obsessed” with learning about it………*looks around and slowly raises hand*
My sister introduced my family to the show “Doctor Who” a few weekends back. My daughter has quickly taken it up as her most favorite show in the whole world. She said to me the other day “Mom, I just want to go do things like that! I want to travel, and I want to do exciting things, and I want to save the world!”… “I wish life could be like that Mom!”
As I listened to her fanciful goals, I realized that I could totally relate.
We talked a little about if you were actually living that life it would not be as spectacular or appealing. Constant upheaval, constant fighting, constant drama in real life isn’t as enjoyable as the safe versions we escape to when we read a novel, play a video game, or enjoy our favorite TV program.
It was during that conversation that a thought occurred to me… the reason why games and books and shows can be such an enjoyable part of our lives is because it fills in our regular lives with diversity from whatever is our “normal”. If you expand further on that thought it is reasonably understood that you actually need one in order to fully appreciate the other. Its the idea of ying and yang..
Laymen’s terms… balance.. Its like the old saying.. only those that experience darkness can fully appreciate the light.. right? If you are always in the light you don’t value it, but once its gone, you recognize its use. Another example..if you live in Hawaii, it stands to reason that while you may find it beautiful, but you might not have the same level of appreciation for it as someone who lives in say…. Minnesota…. or Alaska right? So when you think about it, you can’t fully appreciate your entertainment outlet, if you aren’t participating in your actual life. Note I didn’t say you wouldn’t appreciate or enjoy it, because you would to an extent.. what I said you couldn’t “fully” enjoy it because there isn’t the noticeable diversity of actively living and participating in something totally different from which to draw upon.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.. yes.. ….but it can also be said that all play and no work makes Jack a very tired boy.. and it can be hard to appreciate much of anything when you are exhausted. When people play, they tend to put a lot into it. Its easy to put a lot of effort into things you enjoy. This is how people burn themselves out of their most favorite activities.
As a linkshell friend, I can honestly say that I’ve seen fellow members struggle with this pretty hard. I’ve seen people have to swear off the game for periods of time, in order to get real life things situated back up. If left to chance..things can escalate to the point where family, career, to even health issues get neglected so long that they now demand attention, and that extreme is rarely pretty. While I miss friends during that time, in general it just raises my respect for that individual even more, that they recognize the importance of balance in their lives. Typically the ones that are able to achieve balance and find their center, I tend to see again later anyway.. just more confident, more well-rounded, and able to enjoy things a lot more than back when they spent “24/7” plugged in.
I’ve even been put in the position of having to suggest to over exhausted friends, that they simply take a break… logout for awhile.. go do something else for a bit, because the exhaustion of being immersed in only one aspect to long has a detrimental affect on people. It affects your mood and the ability to appreciate what makes something fun. It affects how you treat those around you, how you react to stress, how quickly you can react, and even your ability to effectively play. It makes people irritable and impatient, and staying in that state isn’t good for you, or your relationships.. in game or real life.
So all that understood, I think there is something to be said about, that to be a good community member, its beneficial to recognize balance, especially maintaining it in yourself. We all play MMO’s to enjoy each other’s company right?
What kind of company are you if you are so exhausted that everything makes you upset, and that the game becomes too serious for you instead of being fun. Instead of being that challenging release used to de-stress at the end of your day.. the fun gets stripped away and it becomes yet another grinding job to report to…. and to frazzle your nerves……………………
Ain’t no one have time for that! 😛
Katella's Corner 
Speaking for myself, I had a pretty dark childhood where my imagination was basically completely shut off. Forced to live a really terrible reality made things like games, books, or even just playing “make believe” completely irrelevant.
Today, I treat myself pretty good lol. I go to many places and have many adventures in my mind now. Via games, especially books, and film, I have now gained access to a part of natural life where we can experience the impossible or improbable. That side of me makes me feel younger and happier. When I return to my family and day-to-day reality, I feel refreshed and more creative than before.
A long time ago, this was not the case. I would spend all my time in the virtual world. When I came back to my reality it would depress and I wanted to escape even more. That was a very unhealthy time in my life. I would say that if you have a strong preference for one over the other, that your missing out on some happiness. I personally value both equally today. I treasure my time in both worlds.
I often times feel guilty that I don’t play the game enough. I see people play almost every day, and I’m often keeping to a strict schedule when I have work and classes to worry about. Then a break rolls around and I do nothing BUT play, and I feel incredibly burnt out in that short duration of time.
In a way, I admire those who can stand being in the game for incredibly long periods of time because I need balance. Too much of any one thing is just overwhelming for me. Then again, its gonna suck if I ever get accepted into a Nursing program. >_<;
Where’s the like button for comments?
That’s a very good question…. I’ll have to see if I can find a setting somewhere that enables it!