Empire State of Mind [part 1]

Day 1,179, 17:50 • Published in Netherlands Netherlands • by UpperClassDutchy

First of we'll depict the Course of an Empire, an idea put forth by Thomas Cole. He put forth that an Empire passes through 5 stage; the Savage State, the Pastoral State, the Consummation of an Empire, Destruction, Desolation.



The Savage State
The first painting, The Savage State, shows the valley from the shore opposite the crag, in the dim light of a dawning stormy day. A hunter clad in skins hastens through the wilderness, pursuing a deer; canoes paddle up the river; on the far shore can be seen a clearing with a cluster of wigwams around a fire, the nucleus of the city that is to be. The visual references are those of Native American life.


The Arcadian or Pastoral State
In the second painting, The Arcadian or Pastoral State, the sky has cleared and we are in the fresh morning of a day in spring or early summer. The viewpoint has shifted further down the river, as the crag with the boulder is now on the left-hand side of the painting; a forked peak can be seen in the distance beyond it. Much of the wilderness has given way to settled lands, with plowed fields and lawns visible. Various activities go on in the backgroun😛 plowing, boat-building, herding sheep, dancing; in the foreground, an old man sketches what may be a geometrical problem with a stick. On a bluff on the near side of the river, a megalithic temple has been built, and smoke (presumably from sacrifices) arises from it. The images reflect an idealized, pre-urban ancient Greece.


The Consummation of Empire
The third painting, The Consummation of Empire, shifts the viewpoint to the opposite shore, approximately the site of the clearing in the first painting. It is noontide of a glorious summer day. Both sides of the river valley are now covered in colonnaded marble structures, whose steps run down into the water. The megalithic temple seems to have been transformed into a huge domed structure dominating the river-bank. The mouth of the river is guarded by two pharoses, and ships with lateen sails go out to the sea beyond. A joyous crowd throngs the balconies and terraces as a scarlet-robed king or victorious general crosses a bridge connecting the two sides of the river in a triumphal procession. In the foreground an elaborate fountain gushes. The overall look suggests the height of ancient Rome.


Destruction
The fourth painting, Destruction, has almost the same perspective as the third, though the artist has stepped back a bit to allow a wider scene of the action, and moved almost to the center of the river. The action is the sack and destruction of the city, in the course of a tempest seen in the distance. It seems that a fleet of enemy warriors has overthrown the city's defenses, sailed up the river, and is busily firing the city and killing and raping its inhabitants. The bridge across which the triumphal procession had crossed is broken; a makeshift crossing strains under the weight of soldiers and refugees. Columns are broken, fire breaks from the upper floors of a palace on the river bank. In the foreground a statue of some venerable hero stands headless, still striding forward into the uncertain future, reminiscent of the hunter in the first painting. The scene is perhaps suggested by the Vandal sack of Rome in 455.


Desolation
The fifth painting, Desolation, shows the results, years later. We view the remains of the city in the livid light of a dying day. The landscape has begun to return to wilderness, and no human beings are to be seen; but the remnants of their architecture emerge from beneath a mantle of trees, ivy, and other overgrowth. The broken stumps of the pharoses loom in the background. The arches of the shattered bridge, and the columns of the temple are still visible; a single column looms in the foreground, now a nesting place for birds. The sunrise of the first painting is mirrored here by a moonrise, a pale light reflecting in the ruin-choked river while the standing pillar reflects the last rays of sunset. Sic transit gloria mundi. "Thus passes the glory of the world".



So where are we now?
So, at what stage are we? Are we at the verge of destruction, or have we already passed it? I personally think this is not a story about us, even though we put a brilliant performance in the beta, we can not be called an empire or a great power. I personally think we're at the most uncertain time in the game, but also the most interesting. Pacts such as EDEN and PHOENIX and falling apart, Germany and the United Kingdom will probably be taken over and both Belgium and the Netherlands will lose more regions than they already have. But this does not mean we should just desolate, fall apart and leave everything behind we have achieved in the past. Both the Netherlands and Belgium are countries with a huge potential for future growth, as we are the biggest gaming community in Europe and combined with the United Kingdom probably in the whole world. When organized well we can probably grow 10x our size, if we use the right media.

The United Netherlands, a dark past
After Belgium ceded the regions to the Netherlands after being occupied by a PTO, the United Netherlands were born. Maybe not the most fitting name, Benelux would have done just fine, maybe it would've done better. But resistance erupted and Belgium and the Netherlands were separated ones again. Though the time we were joined together, economically it was going great, we're getting much support and the country was booming, despite of its internal affairs. So one must admit that joined together both our countries can do much good, maybe not joined together as a single country but joined together in efforts to attract more players, defend our territories and gain regions that should belong to us.

Benelux Accord
Recently our countries have started talking about how to recruit more people, how can we reach out to the Dutch speaking world (and ofcourse the French speaking part of Belgium). With this post I would also like to speak out to everyone who's able to help promote our cause, people who can donate their time for the sake of both countries and/or people who are good with medial, who can create great Youtube videos and other advertisement.
Interested? Speak to the Minister of Home Affairs in eBE of eNL. You can also message me.


Viva eBelgium, Viva eNetherlands