On eBelgium and BB4CP

Day 2,781, 05:03 • Published in USA USA • by MaryamQ
Anthem shared with me by a friend who has left us

Many moons ago, when I was a relatively new player, I became involved in the political module of the game with the encouragement of some pretty awesome and unselfish people who were willing to give me a chance. Like many new politicians, I was idealistic, and actually thought we could create the New World that was promised on the log-in page of the game. Needless to say, I soon learned that political institutions in the game move almost as slowly as RL ones do. Nevertheless, change does happen: laws are passed and repealed, parties come into power and fade away, alliances rise and fall, and communities are built and sometimes destroyed, all depending on the social bonds we form or the enemies we make. This week, I have been sorry to see the community that I long called my eHome once again under attack by people who are far more willing to tear down than to build and apparently find it amusing to destroy what others have built.


I am looking forward to celebrating eBelgium’s return to normal.

While I sincerely hope my eBelgian friends will soon recover from this setback and once again be able to determine the course of their own country, I am again reminded that things can never return to what many of us older players remember nostalgically from our earlier days in the game. Old friends are lost, many never to return; some have even passed on in RL. Game rules have changed countless times, and what was Truth yesterday may be completely false and irrelevant today. Often, older players fear that passing the torch to others will result in destruction of things they hold dear. Sometimes these fears are well-founded, but other times, they are not.



This brings me to my main point today. Around the time of my last sojourn in the eUS, there was a new young player who came to my attention, I can’t remember how, but who seemed to endear herself to many people fairly quickly and appeared on my shout feeds, often in surprising places. More recently, I had a chance to observe her more closely, particularly in her 3 terms as Speaker of the House, during which I began to understand her popularity and admire her energy. Her list of accomplishments is impressive. Her enthusiasm and warmth are phenomenal. She doesn’t just wait for people to approach her. She is everywhere, reaching out to other players in a multitude of ways. She does not rely on reflection of past glories. She has been consistently active, serving the eUS and its citizens regularly for months on end. I have had the opportunity to get to know her on a more personal basis during this time, and I can honestly say I can’t remember when I have met a more dedicated player, and I have known some of the top political players in the game.



I’ve spent a lot of my eLife as part of the “elite” in whatever community I was in. I’m now in a sixth party, many of whose members oppose the “elite”. I’ve seen things from both sides, and understand the valid arguments that each has to make. This is why I am supporting a candidate for CP who I believe can bridge the gap. If anyone can build community in the eUS, it is this young lady, who reaches out to every corner and draws people in around her, and who has assembled a diverse group to support and advise her. In short, I am voting for BeachBunny. I hope you will, too.