We Stand in the Middle
(Presentation for the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education (VWBPE) Conference)
Welcome to “We Stand in the Middle,” the story of how a deadly virus, building an interactive 3D story in virtual reality, and writing a serialized novel changed how I see education and taught me the importance of standing in the middle between two worlds.
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My name is Jena Ball (Jenaia Morane in virtual reality) and I’ve been a resident of Second Life for more than 16 years. There, I’ve had the chance to work on all kinds of projects - training for nurses, bankers, and soldiers, prototyping manufacturing plants, creating support groups for Veterans, and live music events. But the most meaningful by far has been “We Stand in the Middle.”
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“We Stand in the Middle” is a phrase used by the Cherokee people - a Native American tribe that originated on the east coast of North America. The phrase refers to their belief that everything is interconnected and interdependent, and that humanity’s job is to achieve and maintain balance between body, mind, and spirit. This balance applies to individuals, their relationships to one another, their communities, and all living things, including the planet.
As a quick aside, the Cherokee also believe that every living thing has a corresponding star that is watching over it. So stick around until the end of the presentation to get your star.
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So what, you’re probably wondering, does Standing in the Middle have to do with HIV/AIDS, and education in virtual worlds?
Back in 2008, long before I’d heard of Standing in the Middle, I was hired by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the Alliance Library System to design a sim for HIV/AIDS education. The goal was to provide information about how the virus is contracted, encourage people to get tested, and debunk stigmas and stereotypes. We christened the project Karuna - a Sanskrit word that means compassion and loving kindness.
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A talented medical librarian was also hired to set up information displays, run workshops, and answer questions. I was really proud of the work we did on Karuna. It was not only beautiful, but incorporated all the elements the National Library of Medicine had asked us for as well.
We even had a giant, 314-prim HIV virus that would open when touched.
The one thing we didn’t have was visitors. It turns out that not many people were interested in coming into a virtual world to learn about a deadly virus. They came to explore, meet new people, and enjoy looking young and healthy as an avatar. And really, who could blame them?
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Meanwhile, back in physical reality, I was busy doing research for Karuna - meeting with doctors, community activists, social workers, and dozens of people who had contracted the HIV virus.
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The most powerful things to come out of this research were the personal stories. It was while recording those stories that I realized that the way to get more visitors to Karuna was not by posting scary statistics or offering lectures on safe sex. It was by using entertaining stories to educate while generating empathy and compassion.
From that light bulb moment came The Uncle D Story Quest. The Quest took visitors into the home of someone who lived with HIV and allowed them to learn about the virus and AIDS by interacting with his life. They read his journals, listened to his phone messages, played with his cat, and visited the medical center where he was treated. In this way, Uncle D became much more than a statistic. He became a real person that visitors cared about and empathized with.
When funding for the project ended, I went on to work with a wide range of universities, companies, and government organizations on immersive, story-driven projects that allowed their employees to take advantage of Second Life’s interactive capabilities. I’ve included a few of my favorites below.
I worked with US Bank to design banks of the future and train employees how to work in those banks, and I helped Smith&Nephew prototype factory floors.
I designed and built the 3D AIDS Quilt that had 60 3D rooms. Individuals and organizations used those rooms to tell the stories of those they’d lost to AIDS. I also helped design and run a Story Quest to educate others about the importance of inclusion in all worlds. Here you see Max the guide dog who helps those who are blind to navigate virtual reality.
I worked on a 3D project in Second Life called “The Veteran Civilian Dialogues” that helps veterans dealing with PTSD and their families to heal. And I designed and built a Tree of Hugs that accepts the names of loved ones we’ve lost to HIV/AIDS and/or COVID.
I’ve been busy creating and spreading the word about Song Flight - a program designed to help Ukrainian children displaced by the Russian invasion, Also, International Women’s Day, and the Healthful Aging Conference run by Whole Brain Health in Second Life.
But I always knew that I wanted to return to Uncle D’s story. As a writer, I wanted to give him a backstory and discover how the plot of his life unfolded. But most of all I wanted to dive into the many and complex questions and issues raised by his life including homophobia, prejudice, and racism - the tendency to assign blame and stigmatize, and the lack of empathy and compassion for those who are different.
Ironically, the opportunity to revisit Uncle D’s story presented itself with the arrival of another viral pandemic. COVID caused many of the issues we saw with HIV to resurface. Fear and ignorance, fueled by medical misinformation and political discord, and an unwillingness to work together to stay safe all made the pandemic even more dangerous and difficult.
On a personal front, I lost my job to COVID but gained the time, energy, and focus required to immerse myself in Uncle D’s story again. I researched and crafted a backstory based on Cherokee culture, developed the characters and the plot, and have rebuilt the 3D story in Second Life.
The deep dive I did into Cherokee culture reminded me that much of what we are experiencing now - the focus on money over people, the lies and broken promises, the invasions and bombing of other countries, and the dismantling of democratic institutions - have all happened before.
Likewise, there have always been alternatives - ways of seeing and being in the world that honor the interconnected web of life that our own lives depend on. The Cherokee concept of Standing in the Middle is one of them. Writing about and weaving their beliefs into Uncle D’s story has renewed my commitment to finding and achieving balance between my physical and virtual lives.
Experience has taught me that both worlds have much to offer and gain from one another. More on that in a moment. But first, I’d like to take you into the Quest itself - to give you direct experience with what it means to enter an immersive, interactive story in 3D.
We will be entering the story at the very beginning by taking a boat ride to Uncle D’s house. Please go to this URL on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/1069415948?share=copy
One final note about the Quest before I ask you to share your feedback and suggestions. Once you arrive at Uncle D’s house, you have a whole sim full of interactive stories to explore. So enjoy and come back often.
Okay, so what did you think? Have any of you had experiences with immersive stories? Can any of you relate to the idea of Standing in the Middle? What questions, suggestions, and/or feedback do you have for me? Please email your thoughts to JenaBall@CritterKin.com
To wrap up the session, we’ll be sending you the star we promised. If you are not in Second Life, drop me an email at JenaBall@CritterKin.com with the words “Star Please” in the subject line and I’ll email you a star. If you are in Second Life the star will be delivered to your inventory. Simply right click the words "Mesh Star" in your inventory and select "add." The star will appear over your head.
As I mentioned earlier, the Cherokee believe that everything on Earth is the reflection of a star. This includes not only people and animals but also trees, rivers, stones, and mountains--all sentient beings. Please imagine your own star looking down on and watching out for you.
Finally, I want to thank you for joining me on my journey between two worlds. I look forward to seeing and hearing from you soon. To learn more about We Stand in the Middle, how to work with me, and to read the novel, click on the links below:
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We Stand in the Middle (general info): https://www.dreamingwideawake.org/we-stand
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We Stand in the Middle (Chapter 1 of the serialized novel on Substack)
https://whalesinmybackyard.substack.com/p/key-to-a-kingdom
NOTE: A Free account is required to access the book and a paid subscription is required after one week to keep reading (read fast).
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About Me: https://www.dreamingwideawake.org/about
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Work With Me: https://www.dreamingwideawake.org/work-with-me
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We Stand in the Middle Merch: https://www.dreamingwideawake.org/we-stand-1
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