Rocking in Second Life

As an up-and-coming internet user, I always am willing to explore and add on to websites all over the internet. When it comes to exploring the online world, I am into following or making my own path.
I was instructed in assignment from my Interactive Media class, to join and create a character in Second Life. In Second Life, you control a character which you design and create. Once you create your character, you enter the virtual world by going to different places where there are other characters that other people created. The other characters which you can interact with by typing messages to them, were designed and are being controlled by other actually humans who are sitting at home in front of their computers. In this online world people can interact just like in real life, they share thoughts, visual interaction, and conversations.
The only main flaw is that physical interaction is not possible. In fact the people you are communicating with are at best 100 miles away.
Our teacher gave us a tour of a place in Second Life that showcased art and beautiful backdrops. There were mini pools of water that would teleport you vertically in the sky to buildings in the sky to see the art. It was visual stimulating and I was able to interact with some other characters around the art.
Second Life is fun, and to tell you the truth it is not a bad replacement for real life, but the tangible feeling of real life is so authentic that you can even sometimes sense forces stronger than sight, sound, smell, touch or vision. I am talking about what it is to be human and to be physically alive. People who religiously play Second Life are taking their real lives for granted and hide behind the veil of their online character. Second Life is a novelty program, that is like an old-school online chat room with characters interacting on a visual 3D plane, instead of the mundane chat room template. I recommend Second Life to those who want to explore what is possible online, but do not spend too much time living your online life and neglecting your real one.