Know What Makes You Strong

Day 3,321, 20:06 Published in USA USA by Tyler Bubblar


In recent months I have been reflecting about a book I read more than 17 years ago. The Good Earth by Pearl S Buck. My junior year of High School I took an AP course on American Literature. The Good Earth was on the list of books I could choose. It’s really a very sad story. I will not give you the full rundown, but it is about a peasant farmer (Wang Lung) living in China Pre-World War One. He is poor, but he is also smart, and hard working. He marries a former slave (O-Lan) of nearby noble House of Hwang. He and his wife work hard. They suffer setbacks, but they stash any and all surplus they have. When they gather enough they purchase tracts of land from the decadent Hwangs.

As the story winds down Wang Lung is old. He owns all the land formerly owned by the Hwangs. He is even living in their mansion. They sold off their lands to cover their frivolous spending and service their staggering debts. Poor in all but name they have rented their mansion to him. It is one their few remaining assets so they must leverage it. O-Lan has passed on, she died aggrieved after her husband moved a concubine into their home. It was not until after she was gone that he realized just how much of a help she was to him. Her loyalty and dedication to him and their family was a significant source of strength to him.



His children have grown up spoiled. Shielded from the rigors and strain of working the earth they do not have an understanding of where their prosperity has come from. They have always known wealth and status. At the close of the novel Wang Lung overhears his two oldest sons arguing about how they will split the inheritance after their father passes. They do not want the land nor the hassle of farming it. So they agree to sell it. Incensed Wang Lung tries desperately to explain to his sons that wars may rage, famine may take hold for a time, bandits may come thieving, and all manner of calamities may beset their family. However, the land will remain. It will be there waiting to be tilled. Ready to provide sustenance and wealth. He saw the Hwangs forget this truth as they sold off the source of their power piece by piece for a momentary infusion of funds. His sons placate him and say they will not sell the land, but after he turns away they make eye contact and nod. Once he is gone the land will be sold. They will unknowingly part with what makes them strong.

How does this pertain to eRepublik? Well let me ask you this. What makes your Party Strong? Your MU? Our Community? The eUSA? Do you see where I am going with this yet? We here in the eUSA and in eRepublik as a whole have built up many cherished traditions and events around this game. I remember as a young Fed I loved the weekly episodes of FedRadio, weekly Fed meetings on IRC, monthly Fed Awards, and opportunities to get involved in the Party. I loved how quickly I was accepted in and made to feel like I was a part of the fabric of the Feds. Many of those things I mentioned from the spring of 2013 remain, and that is why the Federalist Party has stayed strong relative to the decayed state of the game.



At the national level we had eNPR, monthly ATO operations, fundraisers, MU joint strikes, and articles that were published by many private citizens just for the pleasure of it. I myself am guilty of that last one. I enjoy writing, and would frequently publish articles several times a week just for the fun of it. Now it is not all that unusual to see less than five total articles in the media module of the eUSA on a given day. Publication and the subsequent consumption of quality articles by talented writers like so many other things that brought life and entertainment to this game are on the wane. I will not blow sunshine up your hind end. The state of the game is not great. To quote Jimmy Carter we as a community are faced with a crisis of confidence a malaise if you will.



We cannot force the admins to more effectively advertise this game. Which admittedly bothers me. It is not like they do not know how. In the early years of this game there was a flood of new players into this game each and every day. The bulk of these newbs did not stay but when you are getting 300+ new profiles a day in the eUSA alone it makes for many opportunities to refresh the talent pools. Now years later when improved technology and connectivity can only make it even easier to attract new customers we get less than a trickle of new joins. Okay rant about advertising over. We cannot force the admins to add a little more depth and strategy to the game or provide a solution for the lack of labor available these days (other than the Tycoon Pack). A sea captain can adjust his sails but if he is becalmed he cannot make the wind blow.

However, we have never been able to control those things. Yet we still built social and organizational apparatuses outside of the game. Many of the things I named above are very much outside the original scope and ability of the actual game of eRepublik. The game sucks but we don’t have to. Anyone that has served in a Fed Cabinet or a National Cabinet while I was Party President or Country President will have heard that from me. Our community here has always been about going the extra mile. We have added depth and interest around the at times drab backdrop of eRepublik. Yet every time we shelve a cherished tradition, game, or activity we are all that much less for it. It all sounds very hopeless right? We still have a very strong core here in our community. Community is why I play eRepublik. I have dear friends here that I still want to see succeed and grow. There is much in the eUSA and eRepublik that is worth logging in for. We just need to continue recognizing what makes us strong and cling to that source of strength.

I cannot make the wind blow nor can I make Plato pull his head out of his sphincter, but I can do my part to add vibrancy to the game, my Party, and the eUSA. I can publish regularly just because. I can help others realize their goals and ambitions. I can reengage. As can we all. The lights are still on let’s not have a funeral just yet. Until next time I thank you for reading.