2 Weeks and Counting

It's been an interesting 7+ years and as my ride starts winding down, I'm melancholy, happy, sad, angry and relieved.

When I look back on my 7+ years in Second Life, I'm happy with who I am, who I've become, and the legacy I will leave.  Not only will people remember their New Resident Q&A Events, where they could get all their questions answered, honestly, but there are a lot of people in Second Life today, who are paying it forward.  One thing I asked everyone that I helped, especially when they were New Residents, was that they remember what I did for them, and when they were in such a position with others, they do for others, as I did them.

How can I not mention the greatest asset of Second Life, the people.  Over the past 7+ years, I've discovered new best friends, old friends thought lost, lost friends to the ravages of time, and discovered that some friends were only my friend because of what I was doing for them.  I wouldn't change anything I went through in Second Life, as I learned valuable lessons in my life, learned some very important life lessons, and will leave Second Life a richer person for the friends I've met and made here.

Linden Lab started out with the right "Frame of Mind", and many of you will say as they grew into a large Corporation, Linden Lab had to become what they are today.  Today, Linden Lab thinks only about how they can make MORE money.  Today, Linden Lab thinks only about how THEY can use people to get what they want, like some friends I know.  The sad part about the story of Linden Lab is that they didn't have to grow into this Corporate Monster that many make excuses for.  Linden Lab could have been a Corporate Entity that made money but also cared what their Customers thought.  Linden Lab chose to change for the worse, too afraid to be different, too afraid to listen to their Customers, too afraid to be a part of the minority.  Linden Lab, and the Employee's, made their choices as to how they would treat their Customers, as to the Lies they would tell, as to the hard work they would Steal.  I know it's an antiquated way of thinking, but there was a time when a Corporation was kept from being a total douche by the employee's that worked there.  A Corporation can only go so far as the employee's allow it, which speaks volumes about the people who bought into the lie of Linden Lab and kept the ship trained on the path of Corporate Greed.  Linden Lab employee's have asked me to lie when answering questions as a Mentor.  Linden Lab employee's have Suspended my account. in violation of their own Rules, merely because they didn't like what I was saying.  Linden Lab employee's have done favors for myself and others, merely because we were, at the time, thought of as preferred customers; while "features" were not granted, our lives were made easier, and we were given an advantage over other Residents.  This is the type of employee that Linden Lab has, one's who say it's too inconvenient to do the right thing, so they go along with the wrong.

Second Life is a wonderful world, one that I was proud to be associated with.  Second Life was a world that, despite the Developers, was a world made good by the Residents.  Second Life was able to help people, educate people, make people's lives easier, allow people from all over the world to experience each other in a way a simple chat cannot.  Were there people who used Second Life for their own immoral purposes, who used Second Life just to make a quick buck, who used Second Life to hand out their own brand of frustration and mean?  Yes, and they, along with the Developers, did everything they could to tear down Second Life, and while their actions received more press, it was the actions of the small group of people, who after hearing their friend hadn't ate in over a week, sent food and money so that could be rectified, that will live on in the annals of the Second Life Community, long after Second Life dies.

The only reason I am leaving Second Life, is because of Linden Lab.  It's ironic that because of an individual at Linden Lab invited me to beta test Second Life that I was here at all and it's the actions of a CEO who wants to own it all, that have shown me that Second Life is no longer the world that is safe for Content Creators as it once was.  Please don't insult me today and tell me that Linden Lab is only claiming ownership of my Content to use in a small subset of circumstances.  The fact is, I don't care WHY they chose to Steal my Content, it's the fact that they chose to STEAL my Content.  Why is it we allow a Corporate Entity to Steal from us, and yet, if a person did the same thing, we'd be screaming for Justice?  My justice has been announced, I will not stay in Second Life, where those that run the world have chosen to STEAL.

Goodbye my friends, I hope you all the best, I pray we continue to be friends, and that you will join me over at InWorldz, where I will now call my new Virtual Home.