Vive la Osiris!
Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2015 4:37 pm
At least two people thought I should be a candidate for Pharaoh. I feel this is enough support to warrant at least an attempt on my part.Osiris has a problem. It's been a problem for longer than I have been around and it will continue to be a problem as long as nobody takes dramatic action.
The Osiris Fraternal Order, that is, the political institutions of Osiris, are the skeleton of our region. Other institutions (social institutions) are developed around the Osiran political structure, which gives them the support and stability they need to survive.
Unfortunately, Osiris consists entirely of the political institution. This makes our region a mere skeleton without flesh; devoid of the vitality necessary for the region to achieve its' full potential. This lack of social institutions, this lack of culture and community, is a bigger threat to our regional safety and stability than any other issue we face today. Just as a skeleton cannot defend itself from assault, so is a political institution without a strong supporting culture vulnerable to conflict both internal and external.
The administration of this region is like a revolving door of the same group of individuals. This is not due to any perversion or malfeasance on their part. The last thing they wanted was to turn Osiris into their personal "Old Boys Club", they simply were unable to attract new players to their government. This may have done well to prevent some of the aforementioned internal conflicts, but it has resulted in a stale, atrophying region which has only exacerbated the problem of attracting new players. The end result of this viscous cycle is the collapse of the Fraternal Order. It is only by changing the policies of the Osiris Fraternal Order that this disaster can be averted, but by changing the underlying philosophy of our governance. These are the philosophies that must be adopted into the Osiran conscience and reflected in the laws of the Fraternal Order
1. The Osiran Fraternal Order is not Osiris. The Osiran Fraternal Order is the governing body of Osiris, but it is not identical to Osiris. Their interests are ideally in line with each other, but it is easy to imagine a situation where they are opposed. The Fraternal Order is a subset of Osiris as a region. Since members of the Fraternal Order usually only interact with other members, it is not difficult to lose sight of this fact.
2. Culture is Organic. Government can not create culture or community, it can only create an environment where culture and community can arise. It is foolish to depend entirely on the machinations of a "Culture Czar" to unite a group and give them common ground.
3. Independent Initiatives are Better than Government Programs. It is the duty of the government not to fix every single problem, but to create an environment where individuals can work together to solve the problem themselves. Top-down problem solving comes from the first error, of assuming that the government of a nation is the nation, and that nothing will happen without the government stepping in. Rather than taking this approach, which converts the whole region into a system of administrators and bureaucrats, we need to encourage players to strike out on their own to make the region a better place.
With these principles in mind, here are my specific policy recommendations:
1. Bring back the House system, with a few modifications I will outline in another post that will hopefully encourage use, and, in my opinion, be more elegant. This is to provide an non-government avenue of organizing and affecting change.
2. Eliminate the Priesthood of Isis. The functions of the Culture department are invaluable, but I believe they can be preformed independently of government oversight or by the Priesthood of Apis (Media). Maintaining a government department discourages individuals from developing culture on their own, and that's the sort of culture, true culture, we really want. Furthermore, the name is unfortunate.
3. Restrict Admittance to the Deshret – maybe. I don't really want new members to feel as if they have to immediately seek a position within the government. Yes, this could strengthen the government, but that really isn't what we need right now. This is an idea I'm only toying with, I'm not wholly convinced of it myself.
Thank you for the time you spent reading this. I will be happy to answer any questions you have.
