Join the new world

Day 5327
1.) Everything changes, nothing perishes.
2.) Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.
3.) Do not be afraid of storms when learning to sail.
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Everything changes, nothing perishes.


^{A simple note and a sweet hello.}


For eons -- or at least since 2008 -- ancient e-Druids have conducted rituals to preserve the life force of e-Republik. Every year at this time, they celebrate the rebirth of sunshine onto our virtual New World.

And we celebrate with them.


Feel the solstice spirit lifting us up. It's like being carried away by happiness balloons. Energized by maverick packs. Receiving unexpectedly sage advice via mysterious ghost packets of lost-and-returning friends.

The e-Druids compel us to feel the renewed warmth. Northernhemispherians wander down to the beach with our laptops to play eRepublik in the sand. Southernhemispherians emerge from winter slumbers to toast the return of virtual sunshine. Each in our way celebrates the never-ending revolutions of e-time.


Wiping away a few salty streaks from my cheek of spray from the Bay, I push the big red fight button while listening to the gentle crash and splash of the waves. And I remember most the simple notes and sweet hellos from fellow players. The acknowledgements of a shared obsession with this utterly silly non-reality. And how nothing ever changes. And how that's a comfort. Yeah. As the Sun beats down on Asterian and Codickian alike, nothing's really different except for the friends who've said goodbye, good luck, we'll miss you.



On my own, I know. And you know too, don't you? That today. This solstice. This revolution. This turn of the game. This moment. Is actually not the same.

Watching the reborn Sun's rays drift inside my beach-side tent, its curtain of light flitters about me on an elegant wind. And I realise it's the stories I enjoy the most. That there is no winning or losing and that's OK. It just goes round and round. It's the imagined places. The made-up dramas. The pretended fights. The actors simulating workers, bosses, kings, soldiers and revolutionaries. The sparkling reflections on the shimmery e-wall of my screen. That's the open door.




Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.


^{Happiness is getting free stuff!}

What with 10,000 training wars to choose from, a never-ending series of"real" war fronts to jump onto in the eternal struggle aginst the nefarious minions of CODE, not to mention the constant back-breaking work, work, work with nary a day off or paid vacation time, life in the e-USA can seem a bit hectic. Even dull and tedious. Even dull and tedious as everyday life!

Luckily, there is a good bit of relief available for the hard-pressed, hard-working, hard-fighting Murkin citizen. I am talking about free stuff and tax rebates!



Due to a nicely-honed marriage of convenience between the Parties, the e-USA government now offers a swell series of swag-collecting opportunities.

These include...

GIMP, the eUSA Growth Incentive Miliary Program -- This program is like health insurance in reverse. It pays you, the eUSA citizen, a premium for improving your strength and stuff by contributing to Uhmurika's air battles! Learn more and sign up on the GIMP App.

VAT, the Vootsman Anti-Tax Program -- This program is like taxation in reverse! (I'm telling you, the e-USA is like a a libertarian-socialist paradise! 🙂 ). It is sponsored by former Country President Herr Vootsman and managed by Congressperson Arrden. The fund pays cash money to anyone who signs up for a refund. In case you think I'm pulling your leg, here's a reminder about it from the Department of the Interior.

Tin Can is a free food pantry operated by current eUSA President Kody. -- Hungry? Inflation got you down? When you see Congresspeep Tito Magnus post a "FREE FOOD!" announcement on the National Feed, just respond with a comment and 200 Q5 snickerdoodles will be winging their way to you in no time.

Q1 Housing Program -- For lower-level players, it can be difficult to afford keeping a "house" active. Having one provides certain bonuses and helps you to advance more quickly. The federal gummint will help you out here too! Unfortunately my notes on exactly how it works just got grabbed by a monstrous one-armed crab who carried them out to sea. Also I'm too lazy to go find the details. If you shoot a message to President Kody5 he'll point you in the right direction. Given the way houses work, iirc, you need to buy a house and then the program will reimburse you for the cost. OR. If you can't afford to buy one, then you can get a cash grant. This program is only available for lower-level players.



Do not be afraid of storms when learning to sail.


^{How folks can carry on in an age of dinosaurs.}

We here at WHPR are a public service, so we'll end this special Solstice Edition with a few casual and amusing anecdotes for your consideration...


* Leaders are neither necessary nor desirable. Yet this maxim has had surprisingly little effect in the authoritarian wing of the anti-authoritarian movement.


* Actions fail to live up to our lofty expectations. Burnout is common. Understanding the motivations of other players is more important than knowing their (e-)politics. Projecting one's own motivations onto others is a sure-fire recipe for creating resentments.


* Most organizational structures are a result of habit, inertia, and the lack of creative, joyous, playful critique. Wrong assumptions regarding the need for leaders and voting is commonplace. This is related to an often narcissistic desire for a "mass" appeal. Such desires usually just mean having long meetings and developing ponderous acronyms.


* Voluntary affinity work can be meaningful, productive and enjoyable. But a tiny cadre with a big idea for how a big organization "should" work will never be capable of creating meaningful alliances.


* The revolution of everyday life is the bedrock for communities of resistance. The personal growth and transformation of individuals is needed to prevent the re-emergence of dinosaurs, the traps of power. Authoritarian commanders of revolutionary cells will almost invariably become nasty dictators when power reaches their hands.


* Allow a little chaos in. Use what is at hand. A wink. A warm embrace. Feel the sunshine.






xio, until next time, keep gardening and ignore the dinosaurs -- PQ