this clip depicts a small portion of the September 11th Tribute Stairclimb to Fallen Firefighters in Second Life.
the lag in the region added to the sense of effort in the stairclimbing, as did the not knowing how much progress one was making and the unknowns that lay above (and below). the constant turning around and around in the tight stairwell space gave a sense of claustrophobia.
from time to time, i could see fellow avatars in firefighting garb making the climb and honoring the fallen, both in this stairwell and in the stairwell in the neighbouring tower. there was a tremendous sense of cameraderie and dignity, which helped when i lost my footing and fell a couple of storeys - struggling to restart the climb helped me to understand just how determined and selfless those firefighters must have been.
in a world in which personal flight and teleportation are realities, there is a great deal to be learnt from making this stair climb.
