To Strive, to Seek, to Find, and Not to Yield.....

Day 793, 17:09 • Published in USA Poland • by Battle Kitten


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An American Vision
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Tho' much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

I've had a lot of time to think these past two months. For once in my tenure in this game I have gotten to look at the game as almost an outsider in government. I've probably had a lot of time to learn, which I have always felt is a key aspect of being an active and productive citizen in this country and in the game as a whole. It's not that I didn't want to dedicate myself to my eRep studies, its just that more often than not I was busy doing a myriad of different things. With this new found time, I have also gotten to reflect. I didn't reflect on myself, but on the game itself. With this knowledge and introspection, I think I have learned a great deal about the eUSA and where we have been and where we are going.

I have read a lot of interesting theories on what is wrong with America today and how we can improve the nation. A lot of people thought iron would improve our economy and spur us into being an economic and military super power. They were wrong. Some people say we need hospitals in every state and although I admire their agenda, it won't make America great. Other say that using API technology will usher in a new age and make us strong and organized, that might be true, but it won't make us great and just like hospitals, it won't keep people interested. This game is about more than just technology and in-game conveniences, ultimately its about people. Ordinary citizens that log in every day and do their duty and ask nothing in return are the motor that drive this country, whether they are a marine or just the ordinary two clicker. So the question is: What do the people want? I have an idea. We need inspiration and an American vision. We need a vision that clearly defines our future and gives us something to aspire to.

I looked at my first shout the other night. It sai😛 "Please God let me hit level 5 before the war ends!!!!" That was during French Toast. I was a newb just like a lot of people reading this article. I wanted to fight so bad I could taste it. I desperately wanted to do more than train and work. Eventually, I hit level 5 and proceeded to fight like hell even up till today. It gave me a purpose and I enjoyed it. We lost French Toast, and then we lost Taco Bell, we lost FER, and then to add insult to injury we nearly lost the whole damn country. Despite the losses we stayed active and kept fighting though. We wanted to win more than anything. It fueled us and motivated us to do better. Our national goals were simple back then. Our purpose was to win and to drive back our enemies. We were the Rocky Balboa of eRepublik. We kept getting the snot kicked out of us, but we kept moving forward, taking five punches to deliver just one. We kept doing it and eventually we broke through and won.

Today, I look at the nation and I can honestly say, I am less than enthused with our direction. We've lost our ambition America!!. Our citizens are dying due to inactivity. Our economy is suddenly less than up to snuff. It appears to these eyes that we have no clear national agenda in terms of diplomacy or military policy. We have become a rudderless ship and if we continue on this course, we like all rudderless ships will crash upon the rocks and sink. Now, I am not looking for knee jerk national policy, what I am looking for is a pulse. We need to get active on the world stage in a variety of ways and by doing that get our citizens back in the game. If we don't do that folks we are going to find ourselves in a whole lot of trouble real soon.

So, what do we need to do as a nation? We need to set ambitious national goals (no not those goals). We need to have a plan that we begin to set in motion and we need to constantly strive to attain that goal regardless of who is President. Challenges are the only thing that will spur activity and increase our population. John F. Kennedy wanted to put a man on the moon in a decade and he set that as part of his national agenda. He never got to see the USA accomplish that, but we did it in within the decade as he predicted. We need to take the same attitude in this game. As a nation we need to demand a long term vision for this country and we need to start working towards it. We might not succeed all the time when working towards that goal, but we will continue working towards it. There will be stumbling blocks along the way and it won't always be easy, but I know if we aim high we can achieve whatever we put our minds too. This game isn't about hospitals, or iron, or technology. This game is about people, vision, inspiration, and having an iron will that will not bend despite the obstacles and dangers we face. America we can do better and quite honestly if we all work together things will get better.