This month this column takes on a different format. It is the story of Luther, who has posted for the past few years now, and is the the author of some very fine articles on Gorean issues. He gives his express permission to The Gorean Voice to publish his words in this magazine.

Luther is a licensed attorney who currently works as a Senior Claims Supervisor in the field of commercial insurance. and has now commence his writing career. With well over sixty articles he has written concerning various aspects of the Gor books it is no surprise he describes himself as an "avid reader with eclectic tastes; loves movies, owning over 700 DVDs; attending Renaissance Fairs and science-fiction conventions; role-playing, on and offline; competitive board & wargames; dining out, especially in exotic or unique restaurants; travel; and writing."

In his own words Luther discloses his thoughts on a Gorean lifestyle:

"I do not consider myself to be a ‘lifestyler.’ In general, I define a "lifestyler" as someone who follows a Gorean philosophy but who also adapts some Gorean societal/cultural institutions into their life. Such adaptions commonly include such matters as slavery, a Home Stone, and a Caste. I generally do not adapt such matters into my life. I consider those societal/cultural aspects to be part of the fiction of the novels. My life is guided by the philosophical principles of Gor but I feel no need to adapt its society or culture into my life too. I am not opposed to others adapting such in their lives. It is simply not my choice."

He considers ‘being Gorean’ as:

"Being Gorean to me means that one follows the basic philosophical principles outlined in the Gorean novels. One need not have a Home Stone, Caste, or own slaves to be ‘Gorean.’ Those items, and others, are simply the societal/cultural trappings of the books. And they vary from culture to culture on Gor. Only the philosophical principles remain constant throughout all of the cultures of Gor, from cities like Ar to the barbarian lands of the Red Hunters, the Wagon Peoples, etc."

Luther first encountered on-line Gorean communities through AOL and then moved to his present medium, Active Worlds, and has posted a good deal on the various AW boards.

"I began reading the Gor novels in the late 1970s, around the time of the publication of Slave Girl of Gor. Almost five years ago, I began a more serious and intense study of the books. About four years ago, I encountered my first online Gor community on AOL. At that time, it was primarily a role-playing community though I felt that much of the role-play I encountered failed to follow what was in the books. Eventually, I created my own role-playing city on AOL with the objectives of following the books closely as well as teaching what was found in the books. Like any community, AOL evolved over time and there were growing numbers of people professing to be lifestylers. I eventually moved from AOL to the Gorean community on Active Worlds, a 3-D visual online community. On Active Worlds, there is a mix of lifestylers, role-players and others though there is little actual organized role-play there. I created an educational world on Active Worlds, called Delphius, which is now my online home. I enjoy Active Worlds and plan to be there for a long time."

His view on role-playing, in light of ongoing debates on the pros and cons of it, is this:

"The most difficult problem of any online medium is the anonymity of the computer. This anonymity makes it easy to deceive others. People can lie about themselves and they can lie about others. Emails and logs can easily be falsified. Rumor and innuendo can become weapons. Trust is a rare and valuable commodity."

"The greatest strength is its ability to bring together people from all over the world who share similar interests. Without the online community, many of these people would never know each other. This especially benefits those who live in isolated areas who may not know any other local Goreans. It aids in the spread of new ideas. As an analogy, it is like a Sardar Fair bringing Goreans together from all over."

"Online Gor is very diverse, with many varieties of roleplayers, lifestylers, fans and others spread out over numerous online communities. It is a mixed bag as there is much bad out there but also much good as well. In that, it is like any other online community. One simply needs to wade through the dross to find what is good."

"I see no problem with roleplaying online. As long as people are honest about their intentions toward Gor, it is not a problem. It is only the deception that leads to problems, not roleplaying per se. Due to the nature of the medium, most people engage in some form of role-play, even if it is as simple as a kajira serving you a goblet of paga. I dislike others stereotyping role-players as role-players form a diverse group and cannot be so easily categorized. There are good ones and bad ones, just as there are good and bad lifestylers. It is the person, not the activity, that should be judged."

His advice for new people coming to online Gor is this:

"My primary advice would be for them to read as many of the Gorean novels as they can. And then reread them until they feel they understand them well. The books form the foundation so they are essential. I would also suggest reading the rest of Norman’s works, fiction and non-fiction. I highly recommend his "The Cognitivity Paradox," written under his real name, John Lange."

"Someone can ’learn’ to be Gorean. Anyone can learn a new philosophy that they wish to follow in their life. The philosophical principles are not that difficult to understand. The difficult part is in being able to accept the philosophy into one’s life, especially as some of the principles run counter to society’s ordinary norms. Learning is the easy part. Putting that learning into action is not."

"Following a Gorean philosophy can be difficult in that its principles often run counter to much we have been conditioned against by our society. Overcoming that conditioning can be very hard. It often takes a serious effort of will to oppose much of what one has been taught in the past. I do not feel I have paid any special price for following a Gorean philosophy. I live a happier life because of it so any price is thus minimal compared to the value received."

"I consider myself to follow a Gorean philosophy in my offline life but I do not consider myself a "lifestyler." I generally do not adapt any Gorean societal/cultural institutions into my offline life. I simply let Gorean philosophical principles be a guide in my life, accepting whatever ramifications that might bring. In general, the negative consequences are few, no more than probably any other philosophy I might have chosen to follow. The philosophy seems to suit me well and I feel I am a better man due to it."

"I am not a leader in a traditional sense as in someone with power over others. I do consider myself though active in the forefront of trying to educate people online about Gor. I have worked hard to create an accurate educational website about Gor. I run an Gorean educational in Active Worlds and host a weekly discussion group there. I run a message board and contribute on other boards as well."

On the subject of offline meetings:

"Real life meetings with other Goreans can be pleasant but they are not essential to my life. It is often good when like-minded people can get together to discuss matters of common interest. There can be problems though when one comes to such meetings with prior expectations. Sometimes others you meet will not meet those expectations."

"I feel the Gorean community will receive a boost in the next few years as new Gor books are published once again. This will spark renewedinterest in Gor and the community will thus grow. I do believe it will still exist twenty years from now. It will likely evolve some over time, as it has done over the last twenty years. More people are likely to move toward integrating some aspects of Gor into their lives."

"Though the basic philosophy will remain as what Norman wrote within the books, how it is interpreted or translated may change over time. Most philosophies seem to undergo change once their author has passed on. It will be interesting to see what evolves over the years."

"On my own, I have assumed some responsibility to help educate people about Gor. It is something I voluntarily chose to do and something I enjoy as well."

"My next major trip will hopefully be to Japan, as I love its exotic culture."

"I consider ’slavery’ and the designation ’Free Women’ to be aspects of the societal/cultural institutions of Gor. They are not necessary aspects of the Gorean philosophy. They are often aspects of the lifestyle, adapted for Earth. Now, there are no set standards as to what aspects of this should be adapted, modified or left unchanged from the books. Small groups may agree in some respects but will likely disagree on others. At its basic level, each relationship is different. The people involved in that relationship define for themselves what is meant by ’slave’ or ’Free woman.’ Those people define what standards will be in operation for them. Small groups can attempt to do the same thing but it can be a mistake to try to impose one’s own standards on others."

Luther’s favorite book is Assassin of Gor, with Magicians and Players both taking second place. Least favorite is Fighting Slave.

Of his favorite quotes, he says, "These quotes, out of many intriguing quotes, especially speak to my soul." :

"…love of learning, which can be one of the deepest and most honest of loves." (Tarnsman of Gor, p.38).

"Where there is beauty and friendship what more could one ask of a world. How grand and significant is such a place. What more justification could it require?" (Beasts of Gor, p.289).

"Few things, I suspect, are more real than those which seem most intangible." (Blood Brothers of Gor,p.182)

He is at present engaged in an endeavor with World of Gor and gives details:

"I am currently writing a role-playing game based on the Gor series for the World of Gor company. It will be primarily for offline role-play but will have applicability to online role-play as well. The game will be true to the novels. I know that some will be opposed to such a game but I do not see it as being offensive. I see it as an homage to the works of John Norman, a reflection of the spirit of Gor."