A graveyard for enthusiam and volunteering in CDS

[Arria Perreault]

We had in the past a project to build a kind of monument in CDS to thank all the volunteers who has been working in our community. I guess that this project has been forgetten. I suggest now to build not a monument or an hall of fame, but a graveyard. We could even buy a void sim to install this graveyard, so disappointed avatars can rent a grave, not for themselves, but to burry their enthusiasm, their good will and their volunteering. If this project is realized one day, I would certainly rent a plot and put on it a grave with an inscription describing all what I have done for the community. Enough for the metaphor...
This short story shows how it is hard to develop projects in our community. Since weeks, I (desesperatly) try to find a way to achieve this project, a project that I have announced since a long time. I had listen all inputs from the community. I give also very good conditions to this project, avoid CDS to take any risks in this period of land crisis. Despite all these facts, I see all the time new barriers on my path. New exigences, new processes. I really would like to know why. I have the impression that the exigence for this sim (a miserable void sim for which CDS don't take any special risk) are much higher than for the precedent. I really would like to know why. Some people are giving time and energy for this project (not only me) and all this investment is not respected. I could even say that this investment, in relief designing, in project designing is even scorned. We act as avatars: but behind these avatars, there are human beings. When we scorn investment in time and in energy, when we scorn enthusiasm, we scorn human beings. This my feeling today and I feel hurt. My hurt is bigger, because I have given a lot to this community. I have never spared my energy and my good will. I know that I am not the first one to claim about that. But CDS should maybe taken in account that it exists because such people exist. CDS could also trust these people and don't try to see trick behind any project.
The present project doesn't have any trick. I work on it for and with the community. I will not get any personal advantage in this project. In the contrary. The CDS will win a new sim that I see as beautiful, a new experiment with void sim that can bring ideas for our future. The CDS will insure the future of a great building and institution. The CDS will have a new visiting card to show. The CDS will potentially win new citizen maybe attracted by the Monastery and the opportunity to develop projects. The CDS will get an area to have fun and to have cultural activities. The GMP (that the current proposal fits perfectly) notes fot AM3 a void sim for culture and entertainment. Tell me where is the trick? Don't worry. If we can achieve this project as community, I will not ask to have my statue somewhere. The only thing I am asking for now is to avoid to have to rent a plot to burry my enthusiams. I am asking for trust (because I am honest). I am asking for constructive discussions (because I have listened to you). I am asking for energy.
If anyone still see any trick behind me or this proposal, he/she can go to my house in LA and choose a candy in the Halloween marmite.

[Jamie Palisades]

I completely agree with Arria that, too often, CDS eats its young, and says no to enthusiasm.
Historically CDS has been better at saying no than yes. Maybe that's why our growth rate has been one tenth of some others?
Of course, in a democracy that runs under laws, we must fit plans to those laws. The RA, on which Arria sits, chose to apply our law NL 8-2. Not my idea, but that was their right. If we find that it does not work well, maybe we need to change that law?
(It would be much easier to have an emperor, owner or pope. In a democracy, everyone gets to comment, And some do. )
We've been trying to fit Arria's good idea into our system of laws and needs. I hope everyone has noticed that she has been working very openly with all of the comments, to respond, and in some cases to modify the proposal. It is bad luck that it comes at a time when the SL land market and CDS land market both are confused. But I hope we'll be able to succeed, nevertheless. Regards JP
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[Sonja Strom]

My experience is also that it has been very frustrating to work toward what I wanted in the CDS. This has been especially true in regard to my trying to bring in some mountains (which for around a year I offered to pay for the purchase of myself and promised to ongoingly pay 1/4 of their monthly tier, but this idea was consistently ignored or redirected into comments that there were no mountains in the Master Plan, is if the Plan could not possibly be altered). It has also been true in regard to my wanting to introduce some sort of Referendum process in order for the Representative Assembly to be able to ask for confirmation of its decisions from the citizens (which after months of negotiations was reduced to becoming only a non-binding opinion poll, and then still when it came up for a vote was not supported by anybody outside of the DPU in the RA). Even volunteering directly has been difficult for me at times, for example when I volunteered to be somebody who picks up litter under two consecutive Chancellors and was basically ignored by both (I did realise they were busy and was not sure if I should take that personally, but still, that is what happened). At times I have given up on these concepts as being too headache-inducing to keep trying to do, although they keep surfacing because they are still things I would like to have in the CDS. This term I did finally become a Land Caretaker.

As for Arria's experience, one lesson we can learn from it is that there is no clear land development process or land ownership status for NGOs. Perhaps we should have a discussion about how to establish a more clearly defined regulatory system for NGOs.
I believe this discussion could take place in, or at least be in reference to, a thread I have already started called "Types of Land Ownership" that is to be found here: http://forums.slcds.info/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2163

[Jamie Palisades]

Well, we are lucky to have you, Sonja, and people like Arria who bring us good ideas.
And we're foolish when we ignore proposals to improve CDS.
In a democracy, of course, if they are not ignored, they get debated.
Not all will be immediately approved, because citizens have opinions. Lots of them (sigh).

I do wonder, though, if our land approval system specifically is far too complex. Or has too many hands in the kitchen.
The RA could have approved anything (and can) at any time - using the established laws or by making new ones up.
CDS has had the bank balance to support this too. And a land boom. But we haven't done that much in three years.
We need to think more about what obstacles exist.
Personally I fear it's not about the land laws. This needs some thought, though.
Regards JP