Opening Address September 2017-January 2018
It is my great honor and pleasure to serve as your delegate for a second term. Thank you to everyone who voted, thank you to everyone who asked questions and participated in the election in any way. We had strong turnout and we had no small amount of interest from the RMB regulars. I want to thank Kyoki Chudoku in particular for participating. I have learned since becoming Delegate that the relationship between the RMB and the rest of the region is not one that can be taken for granted, or easily managed. It is a partnership, and one that evolves, sometimes in unexpected or challenging ways, and we must always be able to recognize what it needs from us. I have heard loud and clear the message you and the people who supported you have sent us, and I hope that you will help me going forward as we determine the best way to continue to bring both gameside and offsite communities together. I have big plans for the next 4 months, and there will be quite a few opportunities for all of you, whether you are gameside or offsite, to aid me in that effort. Start applying for the executive staff now, even if you are unsure about it, because there is no better way to get involved in TNP. Join the Discord, be part of the conversation. If you don't already, visit the RMB, see what the gameside people have going on, share a laugh, or a friendly greeting. Encourage them to do the same on the forum and the Discord server. We're all playing this game together and our successes and failures are shared.
TNP is the great region it is because of the individuals who reside in it. We are more than neighbors, we are friends and countrymen. Let the next 4 months be a time when we can truly say we are one TNP, and that we all did our part to stick together and build each other up, not look down on others or turn up our noses in distrust. I ask that you not only trust me, but each other. See the best in your fellow player, extend the benefit of the doubt. You will be tested, and there will always be those who delight in mischief or tearing people down. Do not fall into their traps, do not allow cynicism to win. It's easy to criticize, to stick to what you know and put people in boxes, to write them off. Do the harder thing, take a risk, open yourself up to the unexpected. Do not fear the RMBer, begin posting. Start small and make it a habit. Do not avoid the forum or Discord because it's not the game you're used to. Experience the game in a new way, meet people you otherwise would never see. Show them what you bring to the table, and eventually watch as the game's other face starts to change and you can see yourself in it too.
I intend to extend this principle to the wider game as well. TNP is not an island, it is a friendly neighbor and, I hope, example to the world that democratic governance in NationStates not only works, it brings great success. We are better together, this is true when gameside and offsite is united, but especially true when we work beside and enjoy the company of our fellow regions, GCR and UCR alike. I believe that if you are a friend to others, they will return the favor. I want us to open our door, and our hearts, to the people who come from different regions. When I last ran for delegate I advocated for a TNP that embodied leadership. We would lead in the WA, lead in our alliances, lead in tools and innovation, and in new ways to host events and communicate with others. We cannot really do those things if we charge forward alone, and without extending a hand to others. Too much time and potential is wasted in this game being suspicious of others, worrying what others will think, seeking only the quickest and most devastating ways to inflict harm and benefit at the expense of our fellow players. TNP has never been about that, and so long as I am here, we will continue to do our part to rise above it. Our allies can count on us to return the trust and friendship that they have shown us. Our neighbors can count on us to remain friendly and respectful when they engage with us in good faith.
The people helping me see this vision through as members of my cabinet are the following:
Minister of Defense: Gladio
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Kaschovia
Minister of Home Affairs: ABC
Minister of Culture: McMasterdonia
Minister of World Assembly Affairs: Sil Dorsett
Minister of Communications: Xagill
Egalotir will continue to serve as the Gameside Advocate. I will also be reappointing Eluvatar, r3naissanc3r, and Lord Ravenclaw as Advisors to the Executive Council and the Delegate.
I believe in the work we have been doing the past 4 months. The experience has shown us what worked and what could have worked better. This term we will have the benefit of hindsight to help us do even better for The North Pacific. Our region is great because our region is good. We have strong values and strong-hearted people who believe in them and hold them dear. I believe in every one of you and the things big and small that you can offer not only this region, but the game of NationStates. Please share those talents and skills with us now, lend me your best effort in addition to the trust you have placed in me in this last election. We can really do something special with it. I look forward to seeing where TNP is when we enter the next year, and thank you again for deciding to go on this journey with me.
