The Beauty of Avatars

Honestly, I used to think using an avatar for you picture was, well, silly...  And in the case of this blog, it probably would be. I have no reason to hide my face here.  In the past, I have actually looked at the use of avatars as deceitful, just being honest here...  I no longer feel that way though. 

On things like youtube, metacafe, or other websites of a similar venue, I realize that the use of avatars has actually opened my mind...  When you see a picture of someone, you instantly get a feel for them.  As much as most of us would like to deny this, first impressions are hugely significant. With the use of avatars though, we can project what we want others to feel from us.

Because of the use of avatars, I have now communicated with people all over the world, of all different creeds, social status, race, and I have found something that has blown my mind away...

WE ARE ALL THE SAME! :-)

Can you believe it???

You see, without a face to associate with, you are left purely with what that person says and how they portray themselves.  I have found so many cases now where I was conversing with someone about a topic, only to find out they are not what I thought.  Or better explained, not what I was conditioned to think they were.

It is so easy to label people; fat, bimbo, money grubber, dirty, religious, punk, goth, jock, geek, whatever the case may be, all from a simple picture.  What we look like, whether we like it or not, has a huge impact on the way people see us.  With avatars, we have no way of knowing what each other looks like, what our sexual preference, financial status, etc. is. We are simply friends... 

Looking at things from this perspective, it kind of makes me wonder why we judge so much on looks anyway.  Or why we care what others wear, or how they eat, or live...  If we judged one another simply on the energy we are emitting, like we do with avatars, wouldn't that be a much better way of doing things?

I know even as far as humanity has come, we still have work to do.  But befriending people not knowing what they look like, or even what gender or how old they are, has really made me a lot of friends.  Ones that I see eye to eye with. We are friends because of common beliefs, similar interests, and sometimes, just to get fresh and different perspectives.  People don't have to put up walls, because no one knows who they are in the body.  In some ways, avatars allow us to be more real, because their is no preconceived notion of who and what we are.