Eep²

Mauz

Today I learned that Mauz, from Active Worlds and Wurm "fame", has died. I knew Mauz (real name Marita) since 1997 when she entered the Active Worlds world Saxon for the first time. We formed a friendship and had fun building up Saxon (which was transferred to Hole after she bought a world), then Hole and Cubed (for some virtual education institute competition) with LaraCat. Around 2003, I moved on to Second Life and tried to get her to like it as much, or more, than Active Worlds, but she never really got into it aside from hanging out in the welcome areas and chatting. Later, I found Wurm and she really liked it and was there up until her passing.

I recently came back to Wurm around Halloween 2010 and, soon after while exploring the free server, Golden Valley, saw Mauz's name enter my local chat avatar list. Turns out she had created an alt(ernate account) to hang out on GV. Soon after, the Freedom server was opened up to free accounts so I sent an alt through to check it out and hook up with Mauz's main character. Since my alt was brand new, she helped me out giving me high quality armor and weapon--and even picked me up in her rowboat to save me a long walk. She let me stay at her settlement, Mouse Hole, until I built up enough skill to build my own place nearby.

She was in Wurm almost every day, it seemed, so when she wasn't there for a few days I emailed her on Tuesday, March 14, 2011 and she said she had "been really sick and tired with stomach flu to even open computer much lately" and that she had sick leave until the end of the week. 5 more days passed and I emailed her again but no reply. Then 5 more days passed and, again, no reply. I had no other way to contact her and asked people settled around her in Wurm if they had any contact with her but they did not. I didn't even think to contact someone in Active Worlds, even though I knew she was a gatekeeper there every Friday from when she would leave Wurm to go do, religiously, it seemed. ;)

She was definitely devoted to her hobbies--loved to document things like the Active Worlds citizen count and take lots of screenshots. She was friendly, helpful, but also reserved and controlled. She seemed to be as comfortable by herself or with other people.

For posterity (as long as Net communication hangs around anyway), I am posting her forum history for Wurm and Active Worlds. Also, her website, for as long as it lasts, is at http://mauz.info/ (which I am archiving and will host on my website if/when hers goes down).

Goodbye, Mauz/Marita.

Creating

I used to like creating—I still do up to a point. But, the more I create, the more I see it as an addiction that perpetuates more creation and improvement ala a catch-22, positive feedback loop, pyramid scheme, etc. Procreation, the act of breeding to produce offspring, is included in this, which is why I am not planning on having any children. I just cannot intentionally participate in something I don't agree with philosophically (and also has spiritual implications).

Physically, procreating produces another mouth to feed and care for and, given the intense pleasure copulating can give, can easily be abused and get out of control. Teenagers, young adults, and immature adults can be especially promiscuous. Many third-world countries have families of three or more children to help support the family economically or for religious reasons (for example, some cultures don't like females as much as males so the female babies are aborted). Aside from these situations, controlled/restrained breeding that maintains the same population level is another option but that doesn't address the larger issue of having offspring in the first place.

Why do people have kids? Aside from the aforementioned reasons, a couple may want to have a child to symbolize their bond in love. Wouldn't getting a pet suffice? How about a tattoo or just let the ring suffice? Even more basic is simply the idea of perpetuating the human species. This, of course, goes back to the philosophical idea of why one exists in the first place (besides from the obvious physical act of copulation). What is the point of humanity? Why are we here? Until these questions are answered—or do they even need answering in the first place—why perpetuate a system that only exists to serve itself? That is circular reasoning.

But perhaps there doesn’t need to be an answer. Perhaps the universe, and all its existents, is to go about being fruitful and multiplying exponentially until it collapses, rips itself apart, or something else entirely—rinse, lather, repeat. Who knows for certain? The jury is still out on the universe. Stop the universe; I want to get out.