Join the new world

Many of my articles have a common theme: Community. All things community. Community building, community strengthening, community outreach, community activities, etc. At times I am sure I can seem like a broken record. This article will be more of the same. In my last publication I drew parallels between The Good Earth and eRepublik. I was quite pleased with the finished product, and will be doing that again this time around. I was grounded a lot as an adolescent and in my early adult years too ill to go out in public much. So I passed the time and preserved my sanity by reading a lot of novels. My novel of choice for today is one I read when I was 13 years ol😛 The Postman by David Brin.







The Postman is set in Post apocalyptic America. After suffering through the ravages of nuclear war, biological attacks, and EMP bombs society and the nation as an entity are torn apart by rioting and strikes on crucial surviving infrastructure by a group of militant survivalists. As the ties that bind society together fray and sever America breaks down and devolves into isolated disparate communities struggling to subsist in the new harsh world. The book begins (and stays with for the duration of the novel) with a man named Gordon Krantz. He was once a student at the University of Minnesota and a former soldier that belonged to a unit that held together longer than most even as it became increasingly obvious that there was nothing recognizable left to defend.


Gordon is a rarity in post nuclear America he is an educated man of principle. When his unit finally fractures he begins to make his way west from Minnesota. He has heard that the West Coast was not hit as badly by nukes and biologicals as most of what was once the United States. So he makes his way west earning food and lodging along the way by performing Shakespeare plays for the scattered remaining towns and villages. At the opening of the book he is camping on the border between what was once Idaho and Oregon. While recording the events of the day in his journal he is surprised by a group of bandits. He has no choice but to flee in nothing but his sleeping clothes. While wandering that night he stumbles across a long abandoned mail truck in forest. When he enters the vehicle to seek shelter he sees a long dead postal worker in his uniform.


In the morning Gordon dons the uniform the postal worker was wearing and on a whim loads the mail satchel with letters that are still in the vehicle. When he makes his way to a nearby town he is greeted warmly in his Postal uniform. The town believes he is a representative of a restored government returned at last to begin restoring lines of communication. He initially tries to deny this, but when he sees the light of hope in the eyes of people for the first time in many years he cannot bring himself to tell them the truth. So he begins to hand out mail more than a decade old and takes new mail to go out to the surrounding towns. He even accepts the prewar currency to pay for the post of these letters.





Thus began the reorganization and restoration of the State of Oregon. This book focuses heavily on the symbols of society. The use of a common currency, open lines of communication, and a belief in something more than just ourselves. The argument is made that it wasn't so much the devastation of war that causes civilization to collapse, but citizens ceasing to believe. That is why the renewed use of currency was so important. We rarely think about it, but money is the ultimate social contract. I work for someone and they pay me with something that I trust others will take in exchange for goods and services. Money is paper nothing more if the social contract is broken. This symbolism has always resonated with me and thus this book has always been one of my favorites. The movie that came out does not do the book justice in my view. So the usual question: what does this have to do with eRepublik? In my view at times we have a tendency to settle into our disparate camps, and just sort of eye one another with a measure of skepticism and in some cases suspicion and distrust. I believe this is a mistake when it goes too far.


Obviously Party members are typically going to align with each more easily and to a greater extent than with another Party. We have also seen two Parties align with one another more closely than others, but even with that in a game module that gives the top 5 Parties a lot of power one or two Parties does not a majority make. You can on occasion scrape together a win based on a plurality, but that doesn’t equate to long term success. The infrastructure of community are very powerful yet simultaneously fragile. If we neglect our real life infrastructure: roads, bridges, phone/internet lines, water, sewer, etc. it does not take long for it to break down.





Similarly here it takes constant work and attention for us to work together in a productive way here in the eUSA community. The Feds and USWP have a tendency to align fairly well. Once upon a time the AMP and WTP had a similar relationship. We will often see BSP and SFP collaborate on areas of common ground as well. Expanding beyond two Parties on some issues are difficult if not next to impossible. Taxes and the Dictatorship will always be subjects of disagreement here in the eUSA. However, as I have said many times our differences are what makes this game fun. It is possible to disagree without things devolving into fighting. Communication, respect, and inclusion go a long way towards bridging gaps and divides. I know this because I have seen it firsthand numerous times in my eRep career.


There is no cure all for what ails us as a community, but there are solutions. They just require maintenance and constant attention to work long term. Therein lies the problem by the nature of the game nothing in eRepublik stays the same. This is not something I view as a bad thing, but it is a challenge. Anyone that has run an MU, Party, or Country can tell you many of the problems they face are similar on a day to day, week to week, month to month, or even year to year basis. Sadly some problems just don’t stay fixed for long.


In the Summer I ran against Resoula for Country President. I ran on a platform of training the next generation of Leadership in the eUSA. Because Resoula was a first time candidate for President I have been told that it was not a winning message. Which election results that month proved to be the case it was not a winning message. I lost that election. However, I believe time has shown the need for giving more players the opportunity to position themselves for runs of their own was and is very real. It can be a somewhat vicious cycle. New Presidents will usually select as veteran a cabinet as possible especially in key positions to help them as they learn the ropes. Candidates for President who have held the office before usually have a group of players they are comfortable with and have worked well with before. Neither of these scenarios give much room for up and comers to break into the national scene.


That is why I am announcing my candidacy for Country President of the eUSA in the month of January. I strongly believe that we can close some of the rifts within our community, provide opportunity to new players while also maintaining stability both here at home and abroad. I know to many it seems like I have been away for months only to do this the moment I am once again available to give extended time and effort to eRepublik. That is a valid concern, however I in spite of the many hours I have been working I was never really gone. I have lurked and kept abreast of things. I very much aware of the challenges and obstacles we as a nation are facing. I genuinely believe I can help.


I have not as of yet begun to construct a Cabinet. This is deliberate. I intend to build a team that will be comprised of as many fresh faces as possible. If you are interested in serving in a TB administration please contact me. I will also be bringing back the various departments that have been consolidated recently. Yes it is harder in a shrinking game to fill spots, but I believe it is imperative that the effort to do so be put in. I thank you for reading and until next time I ask that you consider voting TB4CP in January.

EDIT
In light of the ongoing revolution to overthrow the Congress mandated Dictatorship, I'm suspending my campaign for CP in the month of January. I still believe we have very real rifts that necessitate healing, but it's difficult to argue for inclusion in the face of blatant sedition. I will be revisiting this endeavor in the near future, but for now I feel continuity is a must. In the interim anyone interested in getting started at the National level please contact I will remember and will help in any way that I can.