1016: In the Seam of Life

The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily

American Public Media

Arts, Performing Arts

4.8 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 8 December 2023

⏱️ 7 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today’s poem is In the Seam of Life by Rachel Galvin. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual.

In this episode, Major writes… “A recent YouTube search for something else led me to an how-to video on land transference and group deeds . . . in the virtual world known as Second Life. Turns out, one can purchase everything from biscuits for their avatar dog, to a virtual silver-studded leather jacket, to a renovated kitchen for one’s imaginary urban loft. The virtual world turned twenty years old this summer, enough time for users to program a free market parallel to our own. Frankly, I’m struggling with the realities of our offline economy, and lately, the seemingly insurmountable issues we face IRL: war, political discord, mass shootings. But that’s just the thing with roleplaying communities: they grant reprieve from our very human and very startling challenges. They permit entry into worlds where we can pursue an existence much different than our current reality, with all of its missed opportunities and deferred dreams. What we cannot have in this life—say, peace—we can render in another.”

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's Francis Lamb, host of the splendid table.
0:03.0	And you know, I just want to tell you that our show is a great place to come to for some holiday sanity.
0:07.5	We're getting cooking help from amazing people this holiday season,
0:10.5	including Chef Kristen Kish, Errik Prepare, Aberber-book authors, Jocelyn Jelk Adams, Dan Pelosi, and Amy Felon.
0:18.5	We have cooking, eating, and gifting ideas for anyone you're going to have at your table.
0:23.0	But listen to the splendid table wherever you get your podcast.
0:27.0	Talk to you soon. I'm Major Jackson and this is the slowdown.
0:35.7	I'm Major Jackson and this is the slowdown. The Slow down. A recent YouTube search for something else led me to an how-to video.
0:50.0	A recent YouTube search for something else led me to an how-to video on land
0:55.6	transference and group deeds in the virtual world known as Second Life. out, one can purchase everything from Biscuits for their avatar dog to a virtual silver-studded
1:09.6	leather jacket to a renovated kitchen for one's imaginary urban loft.
1:15.0	The virtual world turned 20 years old this summer.
1:20.0	Enough time for users to program a free market parallel to our own.
1:27.0	Frankly, I'm struggling with the realities of our offline economy,
1:32.0	and lately the seemingly insurmountable issues we face IRL
1:39.0	war, political discord, mass shootings.
1:43.4	But that's just the thing with role-playing communities.
1:47.4	They grant reprieve from our very human
1:51.2	and veryling challenges.
1:54.0	They permit entry into worlds
1:57.0	where we can pursue an existence much different
2:00.0	than our current reality,
	...

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