A Sidelong Glance Versus A Mouse Click
Saturday, April 23, 2011 @ 2:31 pm leave a comment? | 0 shed some light
After reading about 'A Geek Love Story' from Newsweek, it got me thinking about the true definition of this thing called 'Love'.
There are different types of love and I've said 'I love you' many times to my friends. Of course those are all under the platonic category of Friendship. But it is Love all the same, for Love is a broad term, branching out to nearly all kinds of relationships, whether intimate or not. Love could even be religious, patriotic, possessive, or just platonic.
What about love between a man and a woman. The kind of love that makes one's heart flutter happily like a butterfly's wings. The kind that starts from a single spark of attraction. The kind that makes you feel that the world stops for a while when you look into the other party's eyes. Is that possible just solely through technology and without physical contact?
It's rare, and it's definitely difficult, but hey, anything's possible. When I was reading the first few parts of the article of how they'd first came across each other's avatars on Second Life, my first thought was, 'That's really shallow - they just started talking to each other because of their pretty avatars. What happens if they aren't like that in real life?' Then I realise that it happens in reality too. Sure, it is superficial. But it's true that physical attraction usually comes first.
Then comes Stage Two, where the couple starts to get to know each other. For this couple who was featured in the article, physical contact is definitely impossible - unless they are filthily rich and could take airplanes just as easily as flagging a cab. The couple also admitted that it was tough sustaining the relationship, since they are miles apart with separate lives. But their relationship lasted and they are still very much in love with each other despite meeting each other only a few times. Since they knew very well that their Second Life avatars did not actually look like them, perhaps it would be fair to say that this couple fell in love with each other's personalities first, before anything else. They didn't meet only after getting to know each other online after all.
The first time I read the article, I'd only thought that what they felt for each other was not actually Love. Anyone can change who they really are on the Net, let alone Second Life. It could be a form of escapism for them, for their love lives in reality weren't exactly fantastic. However, the second time I read through the same page, I had different thoughts altogether. The love they have for each other is very much like what normal couples have. There's nothing to mock at.
That said, I don't exactly support singles hooking up online. The chances of getting your soulmate online is one in a million since you never know who might be behind that screen.
Side-note: Wow, I sound like a relationship expert when I've not been in one myself. Just bear with me.
