White Rabbit

Thomas Merton (195 to 1968) was one of the most influential Catholic authors of the 20th century. A Trappist monk of the Abbye of Our Lady of Gethsemani, in the USA. This man was known as a spiritual writer, poet, author and social activist, writing over 60 books, scores of essays and reviews. He was also a proponent of inter-religious dialogue, engaging in spiritual dialogues with the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh and D.T. Suzuki.

In one of his essays, said:

“To surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything is to succumb to violence. Frenzy destroys our inner capacity for peace.”

And he wrote this before people couldn’t live a day without their computer, their mobile phone, wireless environments, SMS and MMS or virtual worlds were much explored. How did he know this when he would have used at best a pencil and paper Day Timer diary, wall calendar or the old index/palm cards to stay organised?

Real Life

Recently, I have found myself feeling tired and run down and I need some of that famous “Vitameatavegamin” that Lucy sold so long ago. I have a real life, you all know this. I write three columns every week day, am presently working on an update to my business book and working on my second novel. To earn a crust, I write and facilitate a series of 26 professional business workshops and have done so in a dozen countries now.

I race walk most days and enjoy the love of a sweet family (yet not my own), including two wonderful boys (ages 13, almost a man with deep voice and the 7 year old, who loves me to pieces and can’t wait to tell me about his latest knight and horse model.

Virtual Life

In my virtual world, I live in wonderful Avilion, a medieval land rich with beauty and diversity. It is well populated by locals and is the second most frequently visited land in the virtual world -- and all too often by many people who can’t remember to button up or wear enough clothing for some reason. There, I teach a variety of classes there during the month including role play, swordsmanship, preparation for sword tournaments, etc.

I have built a little chapel where I also perform “handfasting” ceremonies to wed people in partnerships (that typically last around 3 months at tops). I belong to 25 groups, including subgroups and attend numerous meetings and events through the virtual week.

To fit in my virtual life around my real life (something most are puzzled about) I arise typically before 3 AM each day and manage to fit in as many activities on line as I can. Then it is off to the real world for a "sanity break" and then back periodically into the virtual world for a "sanity break".

Handfasting

As you may know if you read this blog, I recently handfasted myself to “he who may no longer be named” and had the most remarkable whirlwind time of my virtual life. I joined him in his virtual world and there began to extrapolate my activities to keep up with him.

So what did I find started to happen? Well the turning point was that my Dad died (see "An Ordinary Knight Has Passed" on this blog) and I could no longer keep pace with either the virtual or the real world. Then I had an asthma attack due to some extraordinary stress and got new fangled medicine that completely anesthitised me to where I was sleeping up to 16 hours in a day.

Stopped the meds and started to reorient only to find that my lack of activity and keeping up with all my three schedules became too bloody much -- even with Vitameatavegamin. Especially when additional pressures were added to resume my “normal” pace after returning.

Under the Suns

Perhaps it is time for me to return to the wisdom of King Solomon, who said:

"All things are wearisome; man is not able to tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing. That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So, there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one might say, ‘See this, it is new’? Already it has existed for ages which were before. There is no remembrance of earlier things; and also of the later things which will occur, there will be for them no remembrance among those who will come later still.” Ecclesiastes 1:8-10

There is just so much one body, mind, heart, soul and spirit can keep up with and I have maxed out from demands of so many people. I am trying to adjust my pace and to remember that the virtual world I entered, I entered first to do research and second to have fun. I raise my glass of Vitameatavegamin to fun once more.