Even Avatars Get Sick

I just got over a bad bug which threw me for a curve (high temperature, chills, that generally lousy/sick feeling). Although I've been through this many times in my life, it was a bit scarier this time with all the warnings about Swine Flu and Super Bugs. How does one stay healthy when germs are everywhere? For me, working in a public library, it is especially hard because of the germs that can be transmitted from all the adult patrons, kids, and even staff members. They tell you to wash your hands, spray Lysol around, take your vitamins, eat healthy. Do these preventions work? Sometimes and sometimes not.


Catching a virus or flu is not the only way that people get sick or feel bad. Many people suffer from chronic illnesses that, while aren't usually fatal, can be quite debilitating. Take migraines, for example, or back pain, arthritis, acid reflux, allerigies, the list is pretty long. A lot of these ailments are caused by stress, diet, or just a predisposition to them through heredity or history. It seems staying healthy, in light of all these possible conditions, is not too easy.

But getting better once one is sick is even harder because most people avoid going to doctors until they are pretty sick or in too much pain they literally have no choice. But do you blame them? Most doctors have limited office hours and then squeeze you into an already overbooked schedule which results in your waiting an hour or longer in the waiting room and then possibly an hour more in the exam room. Then, when you do get your five minutes with the doctor, he or she either orders you to go for tests, prescribes a pill that has side effects, or refers you to a specialist. That's why so many people resort to home remedies, chiropractor treatments, and acupuncture. But are these the answer? For some, but not for all.

If you belong to a virtual world like Second Life, you may also mistakenly think your avatar can't get sick. Guess what? Even though a computer-generated image is pretty indestructible (as long as your computer works that is), there are viruses other than computer ones it can catch. I'm often amazed at how many people my avatar knows who come down with colds, viruses, all the usual human complaints, and how they all swear they caught it from one another over the computer which we all know just isn't possible. On a more somber note, avatars even die. There were two deaths recently among my group of library/information people in Second Life. Where do avatars go when they die? No one really knows the answer to that either, but they are missed and mourned by those who have known them virtually. I can attest to that. Even online memorials are sometimes given in their honor or virtual trees planted in their memory.

So how do you keep you and your avatar alive and well? I guess the bottom line is trying to lead as healthy a lifestyle as you can. Don't smoke, excercise, eat fruits and vegetables, retain a healthy weight and have as much fun as you can even if it means hanging out in a virtual world. After all, laughter is the best medicine, and happy avatars are healthy avatars.