A New Focus

I have seen with concern how some people talk about a lack of activity in the South Pacific, about how nothing happens and the region is practically dead. Some argue that we are experiencing some degree of inactivity, but others take it farther and adopt the more alarmist approach. Activity is always a problem for most regions, but I need to respectfully disagree with the idea that our activity has taken a turn for the worst. If they applied the right focus, they would notice that nothing could be further from the truth, and that the South Pacific is actually thriving in ways we have no seen for a long time. What lie ahead are not the signes of dwindling activity, but rather the opportunity to refocus the goals of our community and become an even better region than we already are.

I will be the first to admit that our government activity has seen better days. Our Vice Delegate recently resigned because she could not give sufficient attention to the position. Our Ministry of Regional Affairs has experienced a sharp decrease in its staff numbers. Our Assembly has seen less debates and less participation. Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives little indication of activity, though most of its work does happen behind the scenes. This sounds like a doomsday scenario, but that is because we are focusing too much on the ugly details, at the cost of missing the big picture.

Building the New Generation

We just confirmed as Vice Delegate someone who brings a fresh face into the government. Sam111 is new, eager to work and very much committed to the region, skills that he displayed beautifully during his tenure at the Ministry of Regional Affairs. He is serving in the Cabinet alongside Feirmont and ProfessorHenn, two newcomers who have displayed an exceptional ability to learn fast and do their jobs. Slowly but surely we are building a new generation of players, who get a chance at working with others and transforming their region for the better.

One could make the counterargument that we could be getting many more people and that the Ministry of Regional Affairs has still lost much staff. I do worry about that, but I echo Rebeltopia in saying that every generation needs to learn that lesson and gain the passion we need in all our citizens and government officials. Keeping people interested is not always an easy or pleasant job, but it has to be done, and it will only succeed once we know what we want for the region and start working together towards that goal.

Developing a New Focus

My main point of contention with the assertion that our region is inactive is that a quick glance at the Lampshade Bar and Grill, Treasure Island and the Regional Message Board will show that activity is booming there, with many posts per day and lots of people interested participating.

What years ago was a little-used Roleplay Central is now Treasure Island, the core of our growing and very much active roleplay community. In recent months we have formed two dynamic international organisations and developed our own system of international relations, nations interacting with their allies and enemies, roleplaying wars and other events. While activity in the Hall of Spam has decreased, that has been compensated by a growing interest in the South Pacific University, where many users debate on the merits of capitalism and communism, their opinions on Middle East conflicts and the latest James Bond movie. Our Regional Message Board is no less active, with some of our forum regulars talking and interacting with residents such as Alice Parker and Curlyhoward. We have a large gameside community and to ignore their contributions to our activity is quite simply to ignore the contributions of one half of the South Pacific.

What is my point then? My point is that we should think of what we expect from our region. We just celebrated 12 years of democracy, so this is a good moment to stop and consider how we want to spend the next twelve years. We can choose to focus on political discussions, which often are divisive and lead us to nothing but drama and frustration. Or we can see our strengths for what they are and embrace an identity of culture and community, instead of trying to fit into a mould that was made for someone else.

This does not mean we should avoid discussing politics or isolate ourselves from the world. We have a good government and good people who work for it. But our focus on government should not be at the cost of ignoring the valuable parts of our region. There is less government activity, but that does not mean that the region itself is inactive. Sometimes there will not be any laws to consider, sometimes not many people will feel like working for the government, and that is completely fine. We want sustainable activity throughout the region, not simply one area.

Instead of pretending like nothing is happening, let us embrace our strength in culture and use it to promote more activity in the government. If your strength is diplomacy then help the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reach out to culturally-inclined regions. If your strength is culture and integration then help the Ministry of Regional Affairs organise festivals and regional activities. If your strength is military gameplay then enlist in the Special Forces and participate in missions. If your strength is law-making then look for interesting areas to legislate. If you feel like staying away from government then do that, and instead post in the areas where you do feel interested and more comfortable.

There is always something you can do to promote activity, and if one area is not as active, I can promise you that another one is. Let us bring a new focus to the South Pacific, acknowledging that we are a diverse and vibrant community where there is something for every person, and with that new outlook, we are sure to have a good 12 more years.