I met a Norwegian from a MMORPG I used to play last year. We were both playing competitively for a fraction rivalry. Until one day she decided to join my guild. Actually I didn’t want the idea since I’m playing for competition to boost my ego, to show that I’m the best and I can’t prove it without a good competitor. However I accepted her as for my guildsmen decision.
Since we were belong in same tier, we were always playing in the same party. We spent lot of hours grinding and farming. From that hours we talked about lot of things – inside and outside game including real life, ideas, principle, culture and etc. I learned a lot from her, though most of them are not directly from her thoughts but from our differences of being Filipino and Norwegian.
Religious Belief
There was an issue last year at the same month today that Norway got larger population of atheist over believer. So we talked about religion. As a christian I wanted to introduce my faith to her. Although she said that she is a believer but not as hardcore as Hillsong or me.
I told her to pray, talk to God, talk to Jesus. Actually I didn’t know how she felt about it but instead of counting how many mobs we killed or jewel we collected in game she had no choice but to listen.
We have a good chemistry. We were both competitive. I introduced more games to her that let me know more about her.
One day I invited her to play a tower defense mod in Warcraft. But she didn’t have Warcraft, I told her to download from torrent site. All of a sudden she got angry to me. She said that it is against on her morality. So instead she sent me a gift in Steam that we can play together.
I felt ashamed to myself. I’m a christian, she has dead faith. I’m living in a christian country (4th largest christian country on earth), she is with atheist (1st largest atheist country on earth). Here in Philippines piracy is not a big issue. It is like the air we breathe in our daily lives. We are downloading pirated movies, music, games, apps etc. and it’s like normal. “You shall not steal” – Exodus 20:15.
John 10:10 says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”. But why we are poor and they are rich. We are supposed to be blessed just like Abraham, and Solomon.
Recently Norway get the top spot for the happiest country on Earth. And it seems a result on being an atheist country.
Biblically speaking, we have the preaches, they did the principles. We have the words, they implement it in action. We have the curse, they got the blessings.
We believe that God’s word is universal. It will work on both atheist and believer. From then I felt ashamed of calling myself a christian. I also stopped going to church. I wanted to renew my life first and be like my friend and her spiritual and moral views. Because it is not the words or belief, it is with your action that matters.
Business
Being in the 7th richest country in the world, of course we talked about money and business. I told her about networking as the easiest way of investment here in Philippines. She said, “if that is easy, there will be many people will do the same”. “There is no overnight success.” “The harder it is, the more successful it can be”
She’s right that is why we are poor. We like easy success. That is why we are perfect sacrificial lamb for the top of the pyramid. Our desire for an easy success is the trap for our own poverty. No networking companies here in Philippines told that it won’t be easy. They have different brands but same faces. “You are going to be rich in one week, you can earn 1 million in one month, you can buy a new car, but a new house.” Same faces, same promises.
So Instead, I should invest on things that some people can’t do. Invest in my skills, invest in my ideas, and invest on things that require difficulties.
Relationship
Being in opposite sex we also talked about relationship. I was wrong that western countries are liberated and we Filipino have most conservative people when it comes to relationship. I don’t know if all Norwegians are like her but she is conservative the way I knew her. I told her about “russ” and she laughed and said “don’t think that I did the same as what you had read about it.”
We also talked about getting in relationship. She is independent. I said to her that it is so lonely to go home from work with no one to hug in blistering cold. She just laughed at me, like she didn’t mind of it at all. She said that she wanted to get rich first.
Here in Philippines, we lose that so-called conservative. Students staying in dorm let their boyfriend and girlfriend to stay with them. We are imitating the westernized culture when it comes to naughtiness but not how responsible they are in terms of being independent, in stable job, and in action they do.
That’s why here in Philippines, many couples are unmarried. They have children but still dependent on their parents. And worst they are still living together with their parents.
Now she’s gone…
She said that she’s sick. That day will come that I will not able to talk to her anymore. With no sign just like how I met her in game, she’s gone. What left to me are the lessons in life that I learned from her.
Now I stopped downloading pirated copies. I spend money on things I use in internet. I spent money for movies, music, games, even this blog is on premium subscription.
And on next month I will start my second business. Not by means of investing on easy-money networking but on my own idea and capabilities. Hopefully just like my first business it will also come in success.
See, now I’m living the lesson I learned from you.That is the only way I can treasure your memories. Wherever you are, hopefully you are OK now.
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