CDS Citizenship and the single peasant

[Han Held]

In my view a citizen, should be committed to the mission of CDS which is, as I see it, to be a democratic and citizen owned estate in the virtual world. Perhaps a wordy way of saying community. To be committed to that mission, one must stay in CDS beyond the loss of an election, a lost vote in RA, a decision that doesn't go one's way or a change one does't like.

Now there are many reasons why a person will leave. One reason could be simply that they saw it only as a nice place to live for a while. Sometimes it could be financial. I am sure there are many personal reasons on might want to leave the CDS.

For me, it will not be over politics. This is my way of showing support for the mission of CDS. It is my country.

I'd be pretty extremely surprised if you were literally calling me out, actually. But if you were, well ...guilty as charged, I guess?

Here's my response and thoughts...

In my experience ...and certainly for the times I have left (allow me to point out that I am currently a citizen) it is never over a single issue, nor a single decision; it's aggregate. And for those who have left and stayed away I believe it's similar, at least with regards to politics, policy decisions or changes they didn't like.

There are only so many hours in a day, there is only so much money in one's bank account. From my perspective if someone feels that a policy change etc doesn't synch with their idea of democracy, they're well within their rights to pull their time and money and put it somewhere that they'll get a better return on their investment (of time, of money). The changes made since my resignation (joining the VWCE) might even make the case that without me their resentments stinking up the atmosphere (or at least using everyone's energy counter-productively) that the cds is better without them than with them.

There's another meaning to the term "community", it can refer to those people you have established one-on-one interpersonal friendships with, even if you only encounter them in a specific setting (eg RA Meetings, the Inagural Ball). I had a lot of people reach out to me around that time, who sympathized with what I was feeling and that I consider friends.

Our collective shared history is one commonality we all share and inherit, and yes ideals as well ...but much less so, for reasons I'll not expound on (there's only so much breath in a life, too ). That said, there's a limit to the comfort and inspiration that history can give; and ideals can be a source of frustration as often as they can be a source of resolve. There's more to being a citizen than those and neither of those are why I continue to "hang my hat" in NFS.

My reason is the other meaning in community; everybody knows my name -and I, theirs. There's a number of places in SL I'm welcome at, and even a part of, but even if I consider myself a relic of the past (and I do) because of our shared time, shared projects, shared experiences and even shared conflicts I am still a part of the community, for better or worse.

My feeling is that this connection is what makes me in fact a citizen and not merely a name on a spreadsheet. Neualtenburg/Neufreistadt was referred to The City in our constitution (not sure if it still is) and that's apt. We're less a country than we are a small town, with dramas, gossip yes but also with genuine one on one bonds.

Crips, Bloods, Jets, Alley Cats, Community of Democratic Simulators ... wow, that last one's a mouthful but to me it's all the same. Y'all are my people; even those I'm not esp fond of or who aren't fond of me. . I'm a citizen because my people are here, that belonging in turn makes me a citizen. (technically paying rent makes me a citiizen, but it's what keeps me paying that rent!)

Making my own thread because I'm an attention , and also didn't feel like I should spoil Tor's thread

[Tanoujin Milestone]

Glad to read you once in a while, dear friend. You know you are always welcome at my place, and yes, I am caring about your (well or not so well)being. I know you are an outsider in your own RL, so we have something in common. I hope you can reserve a position of being the harmless freak everyone is already used to at your location. People do not need to know everything, there is something like the fiction of consensus. May you have a nice place to rest in its shadow.
Regarding CDS-membership: there are always some fence-riders in a healthy community. That is a function with its own merits. You know how it is: you can check out anytime, but you can never leave [insert double-guitar riff here]