[PiZ] A Screed for the eUSA

Day 3,877, 17:23 • Published in USA USA • by PigInZen
A Screed for the eUSA



It would seem that the eUSA is caught in an endless cycle of recriminations and political payback. I'm not going to belabor the current state of affairs by recounting the numerous steps that have dropped us in the present nor am I going to rehash the latest outrage. Chances are if you're reading this that you're already aware of what's going on and chances are you're probably reacting in a predictable manner.

My advice: STOP

Stop thinking about it.
Stop having feelings about it.
Stop trying to get even.
Stop trying to get over.
Think about what is most important to you in this game.
Find others that share that in common with you.
Commit yourself to a different course.

This won't work if we don't break the cycle. The disappointing aspect is that there are many players who aren't committed to change and aren't truly committed to collaborative play that might result in a more positive outcome in the game. We'll have to face that challenge together but we cannot face this together if we don't commit to a few things first.

My fellow eUSA citizens and readers, many of you might know me from my play many years ago. This isn't the first time I've seen this stageplay. What is important is HOW WE REACT and HOW WE CHOOSE TO REACT, not what is happening. That is how true change occurs. We cannot control the actions of others, not even in a browser game, but we can control our thoughts, mitigate our emotions, and gain some control over the situation.


Congressional Recess Declared

I have resigned my position as a member of the Constitution Party and as a member of its Executive Board. I have no dog in this fight other than that of the eUSA in whole and in particular its collective strength teamwork and consensus. This has been lost and as of now a power struggle has ensued in which there will be few winners and many losers. I take personal responsibility for this action; it is mine and mine alone and one that I take only with the aim of improving morale among the eUSA populace and in particular, those that are involved in its politics. In furtherance of this goal I am imposing a maximum 24-hour moratorium on further posting in the Congressional Subforums on the eUSA forums. I realize that this will be met with anger and resentment. Take some time off to establish what is important to you in the eUSA and organize your priorities.

The Congressional Recess of 2018 will commence tonight at 8:30 PM Eastern Time. It will be lifted at the same time tomorrow evening at the latest.


We Need to Grieve or at Least Accept the Reality That the Old eUSA is Dead

Almost everyone is familiar with the Kübler-Ross model AKA the five stages of grief - denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. I would have thought that the eUSA would have progressed past the anger stage long, long ago but evidently we haven't. Let me share with you a personal story from many years ago. You see, I served one term as eUS President. ONE TERM. Why only one term? The game SUCKED for me, hard. I wasn't prepared for what I was going to encounter, which was that at that time, the Presidency was nothing more than a glorified cheerleader and button pusher for the JCS. I wasn't prepared to have a large, influential, and critical group of people ignore my wishes and concerns regarding the foreign and domestic policy of the eUSA. I believed that I had a mandate and ran headlong into a brick wall of players who REALLY held the power strings and weren't prepared to share them.

How did I react? I quit. Mentally at first, then finally physically. I ended up leaving the game, only periodically logging into the forums, and distanced myself from the community. There were periods of re-involvement but nothing like that heady time that lead up to my election. Do I regret it? Hell yes I do. Not the election, I used to regret that, but now I seriously regret my reaction. Many of our fellow players believed in me, believed in what I said and wrote, believed in my idealism. I ran away from eRep, taking a little of that enthusiasm and idealism with me. I thought at the time that I had progressed all the way through the grief cycle to acceptance - that I had accepted the truth, didn't like it, and just cut it all out.

DON'T DO IT. They will win if you do and we'll all lose in the long term.

Accept the situation. The old eUSA is dead. It's up to us to chart the course from here. But we can only do it together. Continuing in the old manner will bring us more of the same.


The Only Way to Win

As banal and insulting as it sounds, the only way to win is to not play at all. Don't play their game. Commit yourself to a different game. A game that includes collaboration, support, camaraderie. A game where E Pluribus Unum is the motto, where E Pluribus Unum is the goal. From Many, One.

You're a part of that goal. A part of that ideal. We all are. But only if we don't let them divide us. Once we're divided they win.

It's going to get rough in the eUSA in the next several weeks. We all need to decide if we care or not. As for me, I can definitely tell you that I know what my choice is going to be and this time I'm not taking my enthusiasm elsewhere.


E PLURIBUS UNUM