Second Life experiment kicks off for Max Wahlter

My sustainability blogger alter ego Max is now not just in the book "Inventing for the Sustainable Planet" but on SECOND LIFE, too. Here is his diary entry:


I am so happy that my Second Life friends Cal and Mia have asked me join them on their experiment in Intentional Communities in Second Life. They have graciously invited me to live on their wonderful tropical island paradise for a while during the first phase.

Learning to live together in communities is important if we are to come through the tail end of the industrial era which started with the peaking of oil production per capita already in 1979. Of course we enjoy the fruits of progress – the irony is not lost on me we are playing this out on state of the art computers and high speed Internet connections – but the downsides carry with them the very factors that will make negotiating post-peak ramifications so difficult.

We have become used to being able to live without fending for ourselves and growing our own food. We have become used to having others make decisions for us – both at work where “management” decide or in society where it is political. Those of us who have tried to voice our opinion know what a struggle it is to get through. The tools required for living in a community where you are dependant on the community for the basics of life – food, shelter, clothing, etc – decision making, prioritization, division of labor, handling conflicts and handling rule breaking – are not commonly known or practiced.

It is my hope we can use this fantastic platform to create somewhere where people can come to learn these skills in order for them to be able to contribute to the development of their own Intentional Communities in real life.

The island here is fantastic, a reminder of what a wonderful gift this Natural world is – and more, what a gift it is to be able to love, life, each other, to love living, to love just breathing. The love Cal and Mia have for each other, I know, has already inspired many to think in new directions. I hope our little community can continue to grow and inspire, to bring hope that we can make through not just surviving but leaving a wonderful, sustainable, peaceful legacy for coming generations.

X Max.