What is virtual reality?  Really?  I mean we know, according to Merriam-Webster it is:  an artificial environment which is experienced through sensory stimuli (such as sights and sounds) provided by a computer and in which one’s actions partially determine what happens in the environment.  

Artificial is the key word here.  That means that “virtual” reality isn’t reality at all.  Therein lies the problem.  The realness is non-existent.  The reason I am pointing this out is that we already have so much that is “unreal”, so to speak, in our daily lives.  If we continue to add more behaviors that take us away from physical contact,  we won’t have the close ties we need to have healthy, strong relationships with one another.  Close relationships require healthy communication.  Even if it is long-distance, it need not be artificial.   

I can’t conceive of having an artificial life.  What meaning is there, when our reality is artificial much of the time?  Real people, real relationships, getting to know each other, all suffer as a result of life in an artificial world.  Maybe I am making too much of this to some of you who are reading this.  But, I think it is becoming a real problem when people don’t interact as much in person as they used to do.  Texting instead of talking,  even when people are sitting together, is making the act of typing more relevant than face-to-face conversation.  That can be considered a virtual experience too.

Today, we have face time on phones which is real.   Writing letters is real.  Even talking on the phone, instead of texting, is very real.  Texting is great for letting other people know specific facts.  But trying to have a conversation is burdensome, and shortcuts, such as abbreviations and letters that are supposed to mean words, can really take away from the experience.   The less we depend on “things” to communicate in our daily lives, the more our reality is enriched.  It is no longer virtual, but a true reality. 

I don’t think we need to do away with any of those things we use in our lives, as long as they don’t diminish our human relationships.  We must remember that death is real too.  Death will come to all of us.  Living should be at least as real as death, don’t you think?  Well, I do.  Enough said.