(Graphic was taken from http://digitalphilosophy.wordpress.com/2006/11/28/second-life-more-real)
When looking to the Skirball Cultural Center and Museum in Los Angelas’ collection of Jewish Americana, the www.modiya.nyu.edu website states that “While Judaica, in the sense of ceremonial art, is an established part of Jewish museum collections, the material culture of Judaism has yet to emerge as a field of study in its own right.
This notion provides the framework for my response to yesterday’s class discussion regarding the Second Life, the virtual world where anyone in the world with access to the internet can bring together their “real” life and the “ideal” life they live in this virtual reality. I made a comment in class and did not understand its underlying implications until later that day. I stated, and continue to believe, that Second Life is real. The avatar I could potentially create to guide my way through Second Life is no less real than the life I live walking around campus, interacting with living and breathing human beings, and abiding by religious and legal codes of law. If I so desired, I could plant myself in a cofined room tomorrow with a computer and a credit card and not leave until the day I died. In Second Life, it is possible to earn money (and lose money). Through the internet, (as a class member stated) it is possible to order groceries. In my confined room, I would build a window for air. So there you have it. I have just outlined a real life scenario completely devoted to this state of virtual reality.
But what does this mean in relation to studying material culture? Although it is 100% possible to live the majority of one’s life in the world of Second Life, I do not believe the majority of people do so. Second Life “players” incorporate their experiences of SL into their “real” life in a multitude of ways, and this I find fascinating. In addition to Jewish Studies, I study within the department of Communication and Culture so believe my fascination multiplied when looking to this medium as a way of living one’s life in connection with material culture. But there is a greater picture that I would like to focus in on. Jody made the most profound comment of the hour when she stated ever so enthusiastically, “Praying in a minyan in Second Life does NOT earn you points with God.” This understanding of getting “points from God” reiterates the idea that the Jewish community (in addition to the citizens of the world) is and always will be divided into two. One part of this community believes that there is a capital “T” Truth (often understood through living one’s life for the all-powerful God) that exists in the world, and it is their duty to discover the meaning and implications behind this Truth. The other part does not base their daily lives on this single concept of divinity, so in a sense, there is no need to “earn points from God.”
When looking at the implications of Second Life versus our constructed understanding of our “real” lives, how does anybody define what is in fact real, and what is a representation of reality? I, myself, am not able to draw a clear distinction between the two, for if somebody can cover his or her basic needs in a confined room and lives all of his or her life in the framework of this virtual reality, does this not become his or her reality? I want to shout out “of course it does!” but I am no scholar and can only provide this mere evidence. At the same time, I am unable to look to any “real” scholars in the field of Jewish material cultural studies because, well, there are none (according to the modiya.nyu.edu article).
As Professor Cohen stated, he felt as though he was talking with “real” people when walking around SL’s Orientation Island. In SL, I can go to the Western Wall and feel as though I am praying to God. I can walk around Ben Yehuda street and buy a menorah for my sister! I can "really" live in Second Life, and so can you. We just chose to direct our lives through another medium, a medium which is currently more socially acceptable in our socially constructed ideas of reality.
Additionally, as far as I know, no great Rebbis have come out with a ruling on whether or not a shiva minyan can be formed via the internet when a “real” ten men can not be found to gather in a tangible room. Again, I am under the impression that no religious leaders have stated whether or not “points are earned with God” when praying at the Kotel on Second Life. In all honesty, is it at all different from saying a prayer in the shower?
2 comments:
Wonderful, passionate entry, Becca, asking some good questions. I certainly see your points; but I also ask if there are limits to what one can do on-line as well. If the world of Second Life was completely wiped out, for example, what would be left? Likewise, are there limits in Real Life that are possible in Second Life (like the ability to fly at will)? In other words, I wonder how the two realms work together to create a "new" sense of reality. Then, taking things to the next level: how does that reality address questions of Jewish identity and/or spirituality, based on how different groups of self-identifying Jews view the internet?
I very much believe that reality is not exact. I believe we all have our own sense of reality. Therefore, I am opposed to an individual remaining only in one reality. If we do not experience other realities, I think it is difficult to understand life. I actually took an entire class on this concept in high school. I had never thought about it before. Pertaining to Second Life and its relation to Judaism, I think that it is an interesting way of practicing Judaism. Yes i believe it is practicing Judaism. If a gay man only engaged in homosexual practices through digital means (phone sex, cyber sex, etc) would he still be gay? If a Jew engaged in Jewish practices through digital means, are these still Jewish practices? Is there a difference?
Post a Comment