Dioism IS Relevant

Day 1,136, 14:56 • Published in USA USA • by mohe3439

This is an article in response to one written by Onishi, you can find it here:
http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/dio-is-irrelevant-1621009/1/20
The best summary of this article that I can think of is that it is calling for an abandonment of Dioism for many reasons which I am too lazy to repeat here. If you want to see the, look at the article yourself, but I’ll try my best to make that unnecessary because this will be why Dioism IS relevant/important rather than why it isn’t irrelevant/unimportant which is kinda the same thing, but enough of semantics, on to the article.

Why Dioism IS Relevant.

I’ll start this article by stating that I am a Dioist and as such my views on it will be biased because of that, but I hope my argument will stand on its own merits. As well, I will break a slight rule of Dioism by saying that it isn’t real so anything along the lines of “It is the one true religion and all must follow it!” will just not work.

The best way to define Dioism for me isn’t to talk about Dio or Pakistan, but rather, to talk about the community which it forms around Dio and Pakistan. Dioism is a belief that is shared by players across nations, continents and alliances. It is a unifying force which no sort of document can break. It, and by extension Dio, brought together players from both alliances, from many nations to defend a helpless nation under invasion. In the scenario which is presented, China is the aggressor. Yes, they were invaded by Pakistan a long time ago, so this attack is understandable, but that does not make it excused. As we have seen in the attack on Mexico by the eUS recently, it is rare to see any sort of substantial support be put behind the true underdog in a fight, but Pakistan gained this no through back room deals or any sort of unsavory alliance, but by calling on those who feel a connection to it not because they began there, but because they felt a deeper connection, one which can only be called religious.

Has any sort of belief or alliance been able to bring as much unconditional support for the defense of a helpless nation being attacked by a larger power? No, it is rare for any sort of real support to be given. Yes, there would be players and nations crying out against this bully action against a minor country and perhaps a few people running to their aid, but not on a scale as we have seen for Pakistan. This is a true international coalition coming to help a small nation in its time of need, and I think this sort of pity and support is something to be praised, not scorned.

Beyond this sense of community, Dioism gives something this game needs, a purpose. I remember before I became a Dioist I was a 2-clicker who read newspapers and fought. This is better than most, but I never went on IRC and I went on the forums maybe once or twice, but once I found Dioism I immediately went on IRC to learn more because there is only so much the wiki can provide and it has really blossomed into a more individualistic religion with each player finding their own meaning in it. This is a rather amazing trait for a belief to blossom into so many different shades yet maintain such a common and fundamental root which holds it all together. To me, Dioism is not a solid and monolithic belief like most RL religions, to me it is more of a tapestry with merely its beginnings in Pakistan with each thread the beliefs of another Dioist, each intertwined, yet independent, working together to make a strong whole, the whole of Dioism. This allows the individual to feel important and integral to the whole of Dioism because their views on it impact the whole of the tapestry. Being able to share my beliefs in Dioism with other Dioists felt like I really was a part of this game and not just a passive observer as I had once been, it made me feel important and with importance comes purpose. My current purpose in-game may not be to spread Dioism, but that is where I began and that is where I feel that my roots will always stay as long as I play.

This may not convince you that Dioism is important, it may be completely different from what you think or view Dioism, it may you want to pursue it, but regardless of how you view it you can not state that it is irreverent or unimportant to the whole of this game.