Eclectic Charisma News - Sororities & Sisterhood in Second Life - Shon Charisma Reporting...

There are hundreds of groups, organizations that you can join in Second Life, and by doing so, you come to realize that SL is more than just a game--it is a place in which you can make real, deep friendships with people who become as important to you as those in your real life. A sorority is such a group, an organization.



The first several months of my SL life, I did nothing but play. I had two real-life friends who joined me in world, and we got a home, made our bodies all fancy-like, and clubbed, clubbed, clubbed. And then my RL best friend pledged a sorority, and I saw how connected she became with the women within that organization, and I realized that I would like that kind of connection, too. That kind of connection would keep me in world and connect me to all the nuances SL.

SO, I jumped into the pledge process, spending two weeks with my pledge line, performing various activities in order to have the right to become full-fledged sisters after the process. I had to keep a life on SL, a life of more than just as a clubber. I had nightly meetings and activities to perform. I had to talk with, bond with my pledge line, often meaning we divulged bits and bytes of our real lives that endeared us toward one another. We had to grow tight so that we could depend on one another through the pledge process, and when we crossed, we were brought into a sisterhood, developing bonds with other sisters of the sorority. I remember going to a sister's house, supposedly to talk about a sorority project, but we instead spent hours talking about our real lives--our goals, aspirations.

Recently, I talked with one of the founders of Delta Sigma Alpha XI Sorority, Sweetkisses Kamala, to talk about the purpose of sorority and the benefit of joining a sorority, and Kamala's thoughts definitely echo mine and others who have taken part of sorority life.





Kamala, along with angeleye Zarco and mysterious Baxton, started Delta Sigma Alpha XI in September 2010, with its mission being to promote high standards for its sisterhood by emphasizing balance among its sisters by forming strong bonds of unconditional friendship based on common values and experiences. This mission stemmed from their initial reason to start the sorority: to bring women together outside of SL families to bond as one.





And this bond carries on beyond dressing cute and going to the clubs. It even carries on beyond the sisters within the sorority. Delta Sigma Alpha XI, just like most sororities on the grid, are about reaching out to others to recruit and are definitely about connecting with others for the benefit of those less fortunate or to raise funds for organizations. The main project for me and my line sisters while pledging was to put together an event and raise money for Fibromyalgia. Over the Christmas holiday, I attended an event that Delta Sigma Alpha XI developed to raise funds for Toys for Tots; the event was a weekend affair that not only had a dance and live singers, but it also included ice skating for the families of the sisters and Santa for the kiddies. Connecting is a big part of any sorority, and that connecting includes within the confines of the sorority and beyond.





And though I was beyond happy to don my pretty gown above and cross into the sorority as a big sister, it wasn't nearly as important as the connections I made with women that I still consider friends, women whose well being matters to me. And isn't that important in the end--even in Second Life? To develop relationships that matter, that rise above the prims and pixels of virtual life?

As Sweetkisses Kamala stated when I asked her how being in a sorority could enhance a woman's SL life, "It gives me a chance to bond with women outside my family. You always need a friend or a confidante, someone you can relate to."

And I couldn't agree with her more.