Saturday at YearlyKos in Second Life has been busy. The excellent thing is that I have also managed to be busy in my first life at the same time — with a log of sitting around goggled into the metaverse, true.

First, I went to one of the Presidential Breakout sessions, a somewhat casual question and answer session with an individual candidate. Senator Clinton’s session this morning was scheduled at a different time than the rest, which meant that she was (nearly) the only game in town and had a decent crowd.

Next, a long-view of the Presidential Leadership Forum while Senator Obama was speaking. Quite a few people were sitting, listening, chatting, and flying around Netroots Stadium.

A close up at the Presidential Leadership Forum of Hillary Clinton. If she has a giant grin on her face, it could be the little verbal slip the moderator made in calling her “President Clinton.” That’s what the woman wants, no doubt about it. I kept wondering why she was slumped over, though. Hey, Hillary, sit up straight. It shows more when you are wearing a turquoise suit. Note also the cushy chairs provided in the stadium.

Waiting around for a feed or a late-starting session has not been unusual, but there are generally enough people around that you can chat about it all while waiting. The avatars always look so bored — cross-legged and kicking, leaning over head in head, or head just cocked to the side in a vague vogue.

Final image of the day is from the best session: John Edwards’ Breakout Session — the casual conversation. John Edwards took charge in a different way than Hillary Clinton did. Edwards looks extremely comfortable with a crowd. Being the populist among them all, he doesn’t get that look on his face as if he wishes he could consult before answering.

All of the Presidential Candidates did well: Gravel, Dodd, Richardson, Clinton, Obama, Edwards, and Kucinich. Dodd and Edwards really rolled out the old time preaching style. They were hot. Some called it screechy, but I thought they were just excited about what they were saying.

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As I’m sitting here listening to lame stand-up comedy, I’m thinking about how much better this is than last week’s BlogHer in Second Life. Yes, I’m doing a lot of low-carbon conferences lately.

BlogHer helpers were not helpers willing to help. In the first session I heard, some woman talked about her very important blog making fun of Second Life newbies and their pathetic fashion sense. Nice.

By contrast, as I sat around in Second Life this afternoon with my head hung (happens when you are out of the virtual world), every time I came back, some extremely friendly person wanted to help me or chat. I told them I was on a conference call from Chicago, told them about Democracy for America (how could they not know?). Nice people — and animals and hybrid creatures.

This is almost as good as the police chase that just ended on my street. Which to watch? Mmm. Virtual lame comedian or real teenagers and cop in bullet-proof vest? Gotta go outside. Meet in the street. Say hi to the neighbors who are out there, too.
I’ll catch the keynote later because face to face always has to win out.

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Technically, I am sitting in my living room. Virtually, I am in the Netroots Stadium at the YearlyKos Convention in Second Life. I’m listening to the speakers testing the sound while doing my keyboard housekeeping. They’ve just opened the doors to the keynote. I’m telling you this is freaking cool. I’m looking for a couple of my friends who are there from Utah.

I have video backup. I’m sitting with my avatar friendlies. It’s all good.

Earlier, I joined a DFA Night School conference call, live from YearlyKos in Chicago, on Building an Open Progressive Community, lead by the perpetually bouncy Arshad Hassan (who was recently in Utah for a great DFA training weekend).

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Apparently, evolutionarily speaking, depression is a survival tool. It may not come as a surprise to you that our species was not “designed for our sedentary, socially isolated, indoor, sleep-deprived, frenzied, poorly nourished lifestyle.” Though theories vary, a new therapy encourages patients to live more like our paleolithic ancestors, getting more “aerobic exercise; ingestion of omega-3 fatty acids; light; positive social interaction; substituting activity for rumination; and increased sleep.” Not only would we be better off eating a Stone Age Diet, but we may also be better off if we adopt / adapt other aspects of a stone age lifestyle — after all, we are evolved for that active life.

So, what I take from this is that it can be depressing to sit home in front of your computer screen, all alone even when you are surrounded by a metaverse of virtual friends, and ruminate about, say, creeping authoritarianism or the slight possibility that environmental collapse is not inevitable.

Great. That’s it?

No.

Barbara Ehrenreich (author of Nickel and Dimed) writes in her new book Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy that we all may be so depressed because we have forgotten how to have fun together. Ecstatic rituals, she says, have been suppressed by elites because they were perceived as being so “disruptive, subversive, and even dangerous.” We’ve allowed ourselves to be disciplined. Disciplined and punished, as the infamous Frenchman has said. She seems to see a positive sign in the carnivalization of some protest movements, like the music and colorful costumes of anti-globalization.

So, if I paint may face and yell about authoritarianism I might feel better?

You might, especially if you look around you at all of the other painted faces and laugh.

Collective joy isn’t meant to be an escape from the worries that might press in on us. Play, big adult play, is another way to remember that we’re not alone. Ehrenreich suggests that we reclaim our traditions — outside of consumption and commodification. Utah burners, go to Burning Man as a walking tree this year. That ought to make you laugh.

“How can progressives,” the Alternet writer asked her, “use collective joy to help motivate people and promote our causes?”

People who are working for change need to think about how to make their events draw on the solidarity and creativity of lots of people together. That’s been happening … but it’s something we need to address. Bringing art and culture into politics is a way to express what we are seeking, what our vision of the world is.

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Saturday, about 500,000 people marched in Washington, DC, to voice their opposition to the war in Iraq.

A protest to be proud of.

500,000 = “tens of thousands” in New York Times math, but dissenters are used to being underestimated in every way. I’m sure the U.S. military know exactly how many people were in Washington, along with their Social Security numbers, since the U.S. military keep such a close watch on anti-war protestors. Close watch, spying, surveillance. Whatever you want to call it, they keep records.

The first speaker invited to the peace rally was none other than Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson. In a speech that resembled the stirring speech he gave in Salt Lake City on August 30, 2006, he told the crowd,

No more God-is-on-our-side religious nonsense to justify this immoral, illegal war.

Listen to Rocky Anderson’s Saturday speech at the Salt Lake Tribune, and read about how Rocky ran into Karl Rove, another Salt Laker just like us–well, not JUST like us. Also, just for me, just because I love this song so much, listen to the August speech remixed with the Black Crowes “Soul Singin’” from Head On Radio.

I know you aren’t afraid to face the details of the Iraq war. Watch and read more reports at DC Indy Media, where you can get the close-up local view.

The rally involves more than marching and speeches. In a smart move, those in DC have been encouraged to talk to Congress in an all-out campaign to end this unpopular war. Today is the day for peace activists to visit their Senators and Representatives, voicing their opinions on the war in Iraq. Move On is also asking for a virtual march on Washington this Thursday, February 1st, to send 1 million messages to Congress about the war.

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