Socializing vs Privacy

A shift today to something that I spent a lot of time thinking about much of last night. Secondlife is a social platform...while I could choose to buy an island, set up a house or not, landscape or not...and leave the rest of the land empty...I don't think that would work. For me. The thing is...I have found a couple of islands that were set up just like that. Perhaps the owner hadn't found other residents yet. Obviously, since I was allowed there...public access was allowed. For those that don't know...an estate owner has total control over the estate. We can close the area to all but Lindens if that's our choice. As I've spoken many times...Benares is a labour of love. I chose to allow public access...I decided how I wanted the basic terraforming to look...I found a covenent from a former estate that included most of what the Benares covenent says. I didn't want this island to be a place where someone could own a parcel but not be free to walk along our beach...to own a parcel and have to teleport in because the neighbors didn't allow passage. I wanted so much to form a community. It has taken time...a lot of time. It has taken money...a lot of money. Often when I see people say that our tier is too high...that they can get a better deal at *X*...I sit stunned. A 2048 parcel at Benares is just about .65 cents a day...my tier is over $16 dollars a day. I say that not to whine but as a statement of fact, remember this is my love. The main island is...and always will be...a place where a security orb will protect your privacy in your house...but not our beaches. I want every one to be able walk along the water...to wander up on the mesa...to be able to stand in my public room and watch the sunset over the west region. The water homesteads are different. We have a variety of people using those very private islands. Some are gregarious...ready at any moment to socialize...often to socialize with people they moved to Benares with. We have other people that want to come *home* to their private place and not socialize. I'm sure there are as many reasons to do anything as there are people. Recently I had a resident abandon her land a couple weeks early. This resident owns part of an estate in another region...she came here to have a private place to just sit and do nothing...to sit and listen to music...whatever. While she didn't spell out her reason for leaving directly to me, I think I know. She thought she was all alone and when she was startled by a sudden visitor, it just freaked her out. She was one of a few on the homesteads to put up ban lines. Another put up lines after some hateful experiences in other regions followed her home. I've thought about this situation for quite a few days now...and have reached a decision. I'm going to amend the Benares covenent to allow ban lines on the homesteads. Those parcel bans don't interfere with other residents ability to enjoy what we have...or my original goal of allowing all to particpate if they so choose. I have a goal of community...and that is important to me...but thats my goal. I don't have the right to try and force my goal on others...without all of you, I don't need all this land and can't afford it. My decisions over the last two years have been to do the best for every one I can. I see this as another chance to do that. And so it goes I love you all, brinda Namaste