Posted by Ruilan on April 07, 19100 at 10:37:12:
Tal and greetings...
First I am writing this commentary to illustrate my beliefs and my reasoning and
they are not indicative that others that are associated with me necessarily belief
or ascribe to. That being said I will move on.
It is my opinion and belief that on-line Gorean interaction is an opportunity to
make actual friends, engage in actual human relationships and gain an
opportunity to truly learn something about who we are through the study of
Gorean philosophy. Anything that has no real practical application to that
interaction is dressing, a way of supplying "Gorean" atmosphere for the
entertainment of all. An example would be when I say I am a pirate from Port
Kar I know (hopefully) that everyone knows I don't really dwell in seamy port
city on the planet of Gor. I behave as I would if I were in that tavern in Port
Kar sitting around with a bunch of other Goreans pretending. So we all dress
up our interaction on-line but we all know that it is not just these trappings that
make us Gorean or that they are necessary. These are simply rather fun
things we do to behave in an entertaining and outwardly more "Gorean"
manner. It is my hope that those who see what is real and what is not real.
Those who do not understand this instead give credence to a lot of strutting
around and swinging of swords which do not cut, and performing
assassinations which do not work. After all if I "chop" off your head and you
do not die and go away what can you do about it? No one is dead. So I guess
the question is how to deal with someone who refuses to examine the Gorean
philosophy seriously and instead runs about claiming to be a on-line warrior. I
suppose part of the answer is that one can look and see and understand and try
to explain. However there is a point where you have to realize that you cannot
communicate to those that will not listen. You may lay the words out there but
you cannot force them to be picked up, understood or even heard. I suppose
that you keep on trying to explain how important it is to actually use the tool of
human interaction and communication that is at the core of the Gorean
philosophy and hope that to those who decide to make there way over to
glance at what one is doing that they find it enlightening and important. At the
same time there are those that are so closed off, so introverted and
self-centered to understand there is something real and tangible just within
our grasp that everyone can benefit from. Instead they insist in playing with the
wrappings the philosophy came in and I suppose the most we can hope for is
that after tearing up the wrapping they might wander over too and see what
they have discarded. My personal opinion is that the warrior spirit will never
vanish from our on-line interaction nor should they for they are a intricate part
of the Gorean experience but I have to admit I find the concept of on-line
dueling a travesty and insulting to my intelligence. When one has no actual
control over a given situation/enviroment it is pretend isn't it..it's fake right? That
is where the real/unreal line exists, online. The role-playing isn't really the
problem. It is when those who engage in it insists that cyber swords and cyber
whippings and cyber chains and whatever are actually real when the reality is
that no one can harm, control or restrict another unless they have the means to
compel. Here is an example..One fresh in my mind..*g* Someone logs into a
Gorean tavern and gets banned for acting like an ass. They log back in and get
banned again then they log in again under a new name and not wanting to be
kicked out again try to convince everyone that their actions ect. were correct
and whine about how unfairly they were treated all the while feeling clever that
they have avoided getting banned yet again. I suspect these types of individuals
return and instead of another round of insulting behavior they sit about and play
mind games with veiled innuendo and cloaked insults all the while stroking their
own inflated egos. They might believe they have achieved something, but
actually they have not. They have only illustrated their smallness of mind and
meanness of sprit. It is and has been my belief for some time that certain forms
of Gorean interaction must be abandoned or modified for the simple reason
that the actions cannot be done. They are not applicable to the medium. There
are a great deal of "games" sites on-line with greater ability to cater to the
sword fighters and Tarn riders ect. It is often with this type of activity rather
difficult for those who arrive online seeking to be "Gorean" to understand what
is actually going on when their senses are assaulted with heads flying about and
blood pumping from gory wounds ect. At first, they simply assume that it is all
some kind of fantasy based role-playing experience, and expend their efforts in
reinventing themselves as suitable Gorean "characters" so they can experience
the fantasy. How many are lost to this morass of ignorance?? *shrugs* It is not
mine to say. Most everyone that has ever logged on to a Gorean chat has
experienced something similar to what I describe and it takes time for some to
realize that "roleplaying" the Gorean lifestyle on-line is pretty unrewarding. It
would be hoped I suppose that those realizations coming to roost would help
them redefine their reasons for even doing this at all for if one sticks around
long enough one becomes aware that on-line gaming actions like sword fighting
are fruitless.
I suppose this all begs the question of what to do about it. How do you end this
"game"? It is my contention and belief that it ends when the would-be Gorean
accepts that Gor is real. Confused now?? *s* Hang on and bear with me. You
see that despite that there is no "real" planet Gor opposite the sun. It ends when
their is the realization that there is a philosophy that is very real and very
applicable to "real" life inside the pages of those 25 "books" and that it is based
on a line of reasoning that has its roots back well over 2000 years and that it
has validity and that in the final analysis one can gain insight about their inner
character traits and use the philosophy to help refine and clarify their own
identity. When this happens the realization sinks in that all this role-playing is
something which we do for fun and is simply play. For me this journey is still in
it's infancy..and the road ahead is filled with promise. For those who do not
particularly care about the philosophy and want to use the knowledge
contained within the books to pretend to be something they are not then their
games will continue but I in good conscience cannot participate in their actions
for to do so would demean what I stand for and what I believe. There are
many that are so weak and ineffectual and afraid to believe such a philosophy is
possible that they invent games and want everyone to play by their rules..and
think that if they type the "right" things in the "right" order that everyone will just
roll over and die for them so for those that hold those views I have these words
for you. Attack be as you will on-line but attack me off-line I will feed you
your own head for that is my nature to fight back. But I will not waste my time
and energy in propagating the stupidity of on-line virtual swordplay. Online
games are silly. Fun, but silly but it should be realized that there are those
"Goreans" who invest their time and energy into not only assimilating the
Gorean philosophy into their own live but try to bring some understanding to
those that seek to examine it. I can hear the rumblings already so let me say
this. To those that will say "why participate on-line at all if that is how you feel"?
I say that is because of my dignity, pride and my insistence that there is more to
all this then cyber sword-play, cybersex and cyberpaga that I participate for to
walk away I avoid my responsibility and that makes me as bad as them.
Of late it has become more difficult to stay and participate and hopefully make
some kind of difference as I have become disgusted in the various forms,
under the guise of "Gorean interaction," that have driven some really good
people away from an examination of the Gorean way. But Goreans are
tenacious and perhaps even stubborn..*g* So I hang on even while watching
the many continual online "feuds" which develop among assorted online parties,
groups ect. and keep in mind that I am really just an man on earth who happens
to have a fondness for the philosophy described in a series of fantasy novels
that I believe can help anyone define their own principles..they are not Gorean
principles so much as they are human principles and I speak about these
principles because they make sense to me and seem both relevent and good to
me. I follow down the paths of my own thoughts and desires and being only an
earth man I stumble, fall, fail, but rise and continue despite all of that. The
search to define oneself I suspect lasts a lifetime. The road is long but I believe
I have taken the first step forward..I wish you well...Ruilan..
"The human being is a chaos of cruelties and nobilities, of hatreds and of loves,
of resentments and respects, of envies and admirations. He contains within
himself, in his ferments, much that is base and much that is worthy. These are
old truths, but few men truly understand them."
"Such thoughts are surely to be reserved for the second or third knowledge,'
said another man.
`I am a man,' said another. `I repudiate the distinctions between knowledges.
Knowledge is one. It is only knowers who are many.'
`I shall inquire into truth as I please,' said another. `I am a free man."
--pg.387, Kajira of Gor
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