The Art of Conversation

I don't often stay up until the wee hours of the morning, but you could say that last night was an exception to the rule.

I started playing GMod, thinking to join a GMStranded server or find a new gametype to try out. I found GMP (Garry's Mod Parkour) and I'd seen the mod's thread in the FacePunch forums, so I decided to try it out.

The gametype itself didn't keep me up. It's fairly mediocre. You can jump from building to building in narrow corridors to scale your way to the rooftops (the default map, and the only one that really works, is a huge city full of skyscrapers and big roof-to-roof jumps), slide down walls to slow your descent, and roll on a big landing to avoid grisly death by bone breaking etc.

Some guys were using microphones, myself included, and someone found they could scale a building using only one wall because the server's gravity setting was below a certain threshold. So we had races up a single side of the building until a handful of people got the knack for it.

We had a few races, chases, runs, and games of tag. But the thing that kept me on the server was the conversation.

One player, whose handle was Heretic_Christ turned out to be very good at speaking. He was open minded, forward thinking, polite, intelligent, and agreeable. Not something you find every day on computer games.

Anyway, we got to the chin-wagging and it turns out that he has strong, well-informed views on politics, religion, and cultures around the world. We talked about surveillance, police brutality, how America could one day become a Fascist nation, football hooligans, accents, a little religion, being a gentleman, tea, traveling the world, places to see in Europe and the far East, castles, good and evil, terrorism, gun crime, food, cultural differences, rugby vs. American football, West Virginia, the battle of Hastings, diction, paramilitary forces, pronunciation, violence in modern society, chivalry, fast food, martial arts, parkour in real life, Obama, Garry's Mod, things being delightful, origins, opinions, racism, prejudice, good films, trans-humanism, post-humanism, humanitarianism, and a whole lot more. Although, in West Virginia, it was close to 20:00 by the time we parted ways, it was closer to dawn over here and now I can feel my body clock struggling to adjust itself for the day (read: afternoon) ahead.

It really was a very interesting session. It wasn't a debate, so much as a conversation. We didn't agree on everything but we agreed on most things. The items that we didn't agree on were discussed, and then put to one side. There was no shouting-your-opponent-down or desperately-trying-to-get-your-point-across. A lot of it was not only interesting, but educational (for me at least). I can't count myself as someone well versed in current politics or global events. I don't often seek out the world's news (or even local news) and because a great deal of my secondary education was away from school, I didn't learn as much history as I could have done. I didn't do A-levels and now I don't have the opportunity to do so.

But Heretic_Christ knew his stuff. He backed up his claims with evidence and citation, references and valid points. Not only that, but I admired him for his attitude. Yes he was an intelligent guy, yes he had a lot of knowledge in his brain-box. But the most impressive thing was what he was doing with that knowledge.

In basic terms, he is a activist. He has strong beliefs and opinions, and acts on them. Although he was not in the habit of ticking off a list of accomplishments, I think he has already done a lot for his community. He certainly mentioned speaking to people and trying to get his message across (without being preachy), and helping the homeless near where he lives.

So, most of all, I admire his passion, his will to give a damn, his patience, and his urge to make his world a better place. Although we were in a deep and meaningful conversation (there were plenty of other people on the server who were invited to contribute, and they were all listening intently), some other players were intent on messing around and screaming inane babble into their microphones which detracted from the discussion. But all the way through it, Heretic' told me that if he could just get the message across to a single person, then he would reach his goal.

I think of myself as having become jaded and intolerant. At one time I might have acted in a similar manner if I saw the things that are wrong with society. But now I find myself just not caring enough to do anything. I have a stable job and Britain's society isn't as scary as Heretic_Christ's rendition of modern-day America.

So, anyway. I had a weird dream about zombies and now I'm going to have to adapt my out-of-sync sleep cycle as I really should go down to Argos and buy a landline handset.