Anyone else ponder these things?

I'm not one to do something and not question why I do it.

As for Wurm (Sklotopolis for me, as it's the only WU I play on), I know that its wilderness and expanse tantalizes me for a reason, and that I'm not the only one whose subconscious is so drawn to it, at a time when the RL natural world is in hospice.

Sometimes these thoughts go away, when I happily run through virgin woods or tend to my animals, but then I'm staring at the screen and am aware that these luxuries are here only on borrowed time. Collapse is absolutely inevitable for our world, what with runaway climate change and us being unable to stop it, likely even in our lifetimes. In other words, I know that I'm playing Wurm (and other games) in the present moment, and that it will certainly not be this way forever. I know that all of this technological advancement is the calm before the storm, and a major part of our species' demise.

When I used to bring these things up in MMO forums, folks would get triggered and upset with me. I still question why, for example, we demonize wolves in online games, why we're so violent in them, and why we always have to be Strong (recently read a great article on the usefulness of vulnerability and weakness, with our culture's fixation on perpetual strength being an enormous detriment -- hope to find the bookmark).

Just wanted to say thank you Sklo and everyone here, I suppose, for being here, for the time being, and giving so many of us an escape from a stifling world, a place to indulge in our addictive tendencies, to feel connected, and to go back to an older time.