Little Boxes

I performed my first Second Life wedding last night. It was a shotgun affair and clearly had no planning or forethought. I don't doubt that the bride and groom cared about each other as they were both slightly giddy and nervous. The woman who contacted me via IM during the ceremony to perform her own wedding was even less prepared as she wanted to do hers at 2AM the next morning. I gently got her to rethink that ungodly hour but she kept trying to leave during my questions about what kind of ceremony they wanted. The prospective groom clearly had no interest in the whole affair and he left without a word. I was assuming she was attempting to follow him, so friended her and let her scamper off.

Photo courtesy http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/ under Creative Commons licence

All this leads me to wonder if Second Life couples couldn't benefit from pre-marital counseling. Now I know how silly that sounds, but let me explain. Second Life is a platform. Some call it a game. Relationships online are all too transitory and I know, through painful experience, how they can all go to shit in the blink of an eye. Real people at the keyboards get hurt, sometimes permanently, while the people doing the hurting move on to their next victim.

I had fun doing the wedding, but there is a nagging at the back of my head and my heart hurts for the inevitable broken ones.

If you are in an online relationship, or considering one, please think about the other people involved. Consider what their real lives might be like. If you're less than honorable with your partners, think about the damage you might be doing while they stare dewey eyed at thier monitors...so much in love.