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Sojourn: The Federation

Author
Caroline Grace
Retrostellar Boulevard
#61 - 2015-08-30 10:18:28 UTC  |  Edited by: Caroline Grace
When you forget about the money, fame and commercialism and put all your efforts into having a real perspective, the streets of liberty reflect your own ideals and goals, Ms. Jenneth. In free society, you're the one who forges, you're the one who pushes, you're the one who makes the next big thing. The lack of set society goals, apart of protecting the Democracy and Freedom, is the very source of freedom and our way of thinking; nobody forces to you to go this way, or that way. You can have a set full of happy people, or you can have a set full of empty chairs.

In Federation, you choose the set. You choose who you are. You choose how many people will be in the set.

In the end, all our masters of pleasure and entertainment and their rich trade empire, and the world many of its most glorious and extravagant sights, are results of that way of thinking. The architecture of Federal stations might be a jewel for some, boredom for another. Freedom might be a topic of interest for one family, and topic of rolling eyes for another. Does that mean that if you visit that one family you uncovered the whole truth about the Gallente?

There is no ethnic Gallente federation, there is no Intaki federation, there is no Jin-Mei federation; there is the united Gallente Federation. We have some good friends who worship Amarrian gods in our own space, and we have some good friends who trade every day with only Caldari friends. There are patriots who oppose the war with the Caldari and there are patriots who support the war with the Caldari. We are all one people, Ms. Jenneth, stronger together than we could ever be alone. That’s always been our story.

And if you lead your story into an empty set, then you will have the empty set. There will be no voice, and you can think whatever you want to think about it. And right next room, there will be a set full of people, with people arguing why there is an empty set right next to them, and yes there will be even a set full of other people, happy, that there is an empty set next to them.

We don't hide our empty sets, and we don't hide our full sets. We don't keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and in public. What room you choose is what you experience. Choose wisely, Ms. Jenneth!

I'm Caroline Grace, and this is my favorite musical on the Citadel.

Rook Moray
Aliastra
Gallente Federation
#62 - 2015-08-30 16:35:07 UTC
Heya,


This was a good read. I liked seeing the Federation through the eyes of a visitor.

The Federation and I have a kind of a love/hate relationship at the moment, but I think you're right that it can be corrosive. Especially under the current administration. Still, there is just so much opportunity here.

So when you decide to return, maybe you should take a visit to a place near and dear to me. The jewel in the belly of the Federation.

Intaki.

If you want a good perspective of the Federation, my homeworld would be a great place.

“When you want to know how things really work, study them when they're coming apart.” -Guristas Proverb.

Diana Kim
State Protectorate
Caldari State
#63 - 2015-09-04 06:14:46 UTC
Aria Jenneth wrote:

Even if their defenders are obsessed with "Freedom," the population works in no very focused way (really, it would be horribly ironic if they were all moving in lockstep towards "Freedom," but sometimes it seems from outside like they must be). For all the Gallentean talk of Rights and Freedoms, their goals as a society, it seems, are an empty set.

Are we Caldari the ideologues, here?

Maybe they have invented this concept of "Freedom", which is just another words which means pure chaos - only to scare us, "workshop owners", to put under their heavy boot? If we don't submit - Federal Navy comes in, bringing their entropy, chaos, or how they say - Freedom, to those, who don't accept will of gallentean overlords.

Aria Jenneth wrote:

So what are Federal stations all about, with their gentle lighting and lightly padded, curved surfaces? I couldn't figure it out. It wasn't directly about Freedom; the place didn't keep shouting propaganda at me. The Gallente often act like they worship freedom like a god, but I didn't see so much of that. There weren't freedom-prayer drones hovering around reciting the Federal constitution. But it is easy on the eyes, and on the fingers, and gentle on the soul.

And I realized-- it's a habitat.

As for their Habitat, yes... It will look just like a normal habitat, unless you will decide to live in it. But even if you will decide and will stay there, you might not notice what is happening about you. Look carefully into the media, into the environment of this habitat. It might be small details, but they will be everywhere.

Nobody there will just scream: "Embrace Freedom, Live in Chaos, Violate Laws, Break Chains, Betray, Disobey, Hail Entropy!!" Nobody will be hitting you with sticks if you won't come to elections to support their democracy. This is all about environment, which is unfortunately leaks even outside.

Look carefully at their movies, holo reels, children animations, pictures, songs, advertisements, stories, news... you will find everywhere a barely noticeable trend (and in some media rather explicit), a motiff that concept of Freedom is good, democracy - is good, individualism (and following egoism, that nobody mentions) - is good. They never explain why it is good. Why it is an ideal... It is just everywhere associated with "good" things. Like, and probably most often - good looks and good visuals, good concepts like kindness and family, good "heroes", who save people, even with Love (which is an antipode of Freedom), in gallentean media it also will be associated with Freedom.

And so each time it will be pushed into your brain, again, and again, and again and again, building wall of misunderstanding and ignorance brick after brick, like slowly screwing a bolt into your head, until that concept that freedom is good, will finally become your own thought. But it will become your thought not because you analyze it and realize what freedom will give, that you compare its bad and good side and choose it for yourself. It will become your thought because it will be imprinted by constant mentions and associations. And what is worst, this thought is axiomatic, that won't tolerate different interpretations.

And this is the most scary part about their society.

Honored are the dead, for their legacy guides us.

In memory of Tibus Heth, Caldari State Executor YC110-115, Hero and Patriot.

Elmund Egivand
Tribal Liberation Force
Minmatar Republic
#64 - 2015-09-04 07:42:20 UTC
I was just about to start explaining what Freedom is and how it differs from Anarchy, then I remember.

You are Diana Kim.

Well, forget it then. You will probably just burn the textbook if I send you one anyway.

A Minmatar warship is like a rusting Beetle with 500 horsepower Cardillac engines in the rear, armour plating bolted to chassis and a M2 Browning stuck on top.

Diana Kim
State Protectorate
Caldari State
#65 - 2015-09-04 07:55:32 UTC
Elmund Egivand wrote:
I was just about to start explaining what Freedom is and how it differs from Anarchy, then I remember.

You are Diana Kim.

Well, forget it then. You will probably just burn the textbook if I send you one anyway.

Here we can see a typical response of a federal loyalist, whose mind was numbed by axiomatic definitions.

This is rather typical for them. When their axiomatic world is threatened, they, as lacking ability to defend it logically, switch to attacking person, who objects their stiff mindset. As their mind is unable to find any viable argument, but can't even tolerate to consider points of views of others people, they resort to such cheap and inefficient tactic, literally burying themselves.

And this is a textbook example of such behavior.

Honored are the dead, for their legacy guides us.

In memory of Tibus Heth, Caldari State Executor YC110-115, Hero and Patriot.

Skyweir Kinnison
Doomheim
#66 - 2015-09-04 08:02:36 UTC
Elmund Egivand wrote:
I was just about to start explaining what Freedom is and how it differs from Anarchy, then I remember.

You are Diana Kim.

Well, forget it then. You will probably just burn the textbook if I send you one anyway.


Oh, I don't know. It's pretty clear from Kim's post that she consumes quality media in great quantities. Probably with popcorn and chocolate cookies.

She's a poppet really.

Humanity has won its battle. Liberty now has a country.

Elmund Egivand
Tribal Liberation Force
Minmatar Republic
#67 - 2015-09-04 08:58:39 UTC  |  Edited by: Elmund Egivand
Skyweir Kinnison wrote:
Elmund Egivand wrote:
I was just about to start explaining what Freedom is and how it differs from Anarchy, then I remember.

You are Diana Kim.

Well, forget it then. You will probably just burn the textbook if I send you one anyway.


Oh, I don't know. It's pretty clear from Kim's post that she consumes quality media in great quantities. Probably with popcorn and chocolate cookies.

She's a poppet really.


She's a fundamentalist, one of those who will change reality to suit her her perception of it if she could. People have been arguing with her since she showed her face around and she hasn't, not even once, change a bit. She even sprouts the same line over and over and over like a broken turntable.

I don't have the patience or energy to try myself. I just mock her for my own personal amusement.

A Minmatar warship is like a rusting Beetle with 500 horsepower Cardillac engines in the rear, armour plating bolted to chassis and a M2 Browning stuck on top.

Claudia Osyn
Non-Hostile Target
Wild Geese.
#68 - 2015-09-04 16:08:14 UTC
Aria Jenneth wrote:
Claudia Osyn wrote:
The Federation isn't so much an empty set, it's more like..... how to put this.... a set full of many assorted actor playing from different scrips that somehow mesh up into a oddly coherent play that is the Federation.


Only, if the Federation simply accepts (within some limits) any script that people want to play by, isn't the real script ...

... silence?

A society almost as silent as the universe, but for this: "Let me live my own life"?

If by " accept ", you mean ignore for a variety of reasons, then we're golden. It's not unreasonable to say that both analogies are correct.

Also, the universe is a rather loud place.

A little trust goes a long way. The less you use, the further you'll go.

Arrendis
TK Corp
#69 - 2015-09-04 16:28:14 UTC
Claudia Osyn wrote:
Also, the universe is a rather loud place.


Depends on where you are. Sound doesn't do so well traveling through vacuum.
Claudia Osyn
Non-Hostile Target
Wild Geese.
#70 - 2015-09-09 20:11:27 UTC
Arrendis wrote:
Claudia Osyn wrote:
Also, the universe is a rather loud place.


Depends on where you are. Sound doesn't do so well traveling through vacuum.

Ever stick an antenna into that vacuum? With the right aids, sound is everywhere.

A little trust goes a long way. The less you use, the further you'll go.

Aria Jenneth
Societas Imperialis Sceptri Coronaeque
Khimi Harar
#71 - 2015-09-10 06:08:58 UTC
Claudia Osyn wrote:
Arrendis wrote:
Claudia Osyn wrote:
Also, the universe is a rather loud place.

Depends on where you are. Sound doesn't do so well traveling through vacuum.

Ever stick an antenna into that vacuum? With the right aids, sound is everywhere.

The Federation's pretty noisy in some ways, too, but it doesn't seem to be big on telling people what to do.

The universe is silent in a similar way.
Elmund Egivand
Tribal Liberation Force
Minmatar Republic
#72 - 2015-09-10 08:56:05 UTC
Aria Jenneth wrote:
Claudia Osyn wrote:
Arrendis wrote:
Claudia Osyn wrote:
Also, the universe is a rather loud place.

Depends on where you are. Sound doesn't do so well traveling through vacuum.

Ever stick an antenna into that vacuum? With the right aids, sound is everywhere.

The Federation's pretty noisy in some ways, too, but it doesn't seem to be big on telling people what to do.

The universe is silent in a similar way.


Unless you are converting radio and cosmic rays into sound, then the universe is a terribly noisy place.

A Minmatar warship is like a rusting Beetle with 500 horsepower Cardillac engines in the rear, armour plating bolted to chassis and a M2 Browning stuck on top.

Aria Jenneth
Societas Imperialis Sceptri Coronaeque
Khimi Harar
#73 - 2015-09-10 14:54:47 UTC  |  Edited by: Aria Jenneth
Elmund Egivand wrote:
Aria Jenneth wrote:
Claudia Osyn wrote:
Arrendis wrote:
Claudia Osyn wrote:
Also, the universe is a rather loud place.

Depends on where you are. Sound doesn't do so well traveling through vacuum.

Ever stick an antenna into that vacuum? With the right aids, sound is everywhere.

The Federation's pretty noisy in some ways, too, but it doesn't seem to be big on telling people what to do.

The universe is silent in a similar way.


Unless you are converting radio and cosmic rays into sound, then the universe is a terribly noisy place.


I think Ms. Osyn already made that observation.

But ...

In Achur culture, stargazers are recognized and respected. They spend their lives looking to the stars for answers, hoping to tell the future, or at least say something useful about the present.

The stars don't have much to say. We know that. We don't visit stargazers because we think they're really hearing the stars speak.

What stargazers are really good at understanding, is people.
Aria Jenneth
Societas Imperialis Sceptri Coronaeque
Khimi Harar
#74 - 2015-09-20 05:55:20 UTC
Entry Five: Entropy and Influences

Things change. Societies in contact influence each other. Ideas are exchanged. Blood intermingles. Distinctiveness fades. Identity-- was it ever real to begin with?-- blends, distorts, diminishes, disappears. Energy disperses. There are more disordered ways of being than there are ordered ones, so the universe tends to move towards disorder.

It's not just in the Federation. This happens everywhere, all the time. It's entropy. Entropy happens, period. That's kind of its thing.

Most of us put some serious effort into fighting it, pouring energy into shoring up structure against encroaching chaos. The Amarr try to conquer and convert; the Minmatar try to recover and preserve; the Caldari grit their teeth and soldier on.

The Gallente ... well, they seem to kind of shrug.

That's not to say that nobody here cares. The Raata hang onto the old Caldari culture for dear life, and there even seem to be some ethnic Gallente who are determined to hold onto old ways. There are a few more or less constants, too-- democracy, human rights, and so on.

Most Gallente, though, seem less interested in who they are or who they used to be than in whatever's next. It seems like there's a tendency to look at the past as a litany of mistakes and failures, with little admirable or worth preserving, and an expectation, or maybe it's a hope, that things can be better moving forward.

That might be mostly because of who I've been talking to. I guess I kind of look like a university student, so I find it really easy to talk to "other students." I get the idea that students are a little like this, wherever you go. This is a place where that seems less like youthful dissidents who'll calm down and fall into line later on, though. It's more like the overall culture is full of people who never really left those ideas behind, and still kind of wishes it was arguing philosophical and political theory over coffee and sandwiches.

Before I came here, I was really unsure where the Federation thought its future was going. Now, I'm still completely unsure, but I think a lot of the Federation is as uncertain as I am.

They mostly seem kind of okay with that, though.
Diana Kim
State Protectorate
Caldari State
#75 - 2015-09-21 18:21:51 UTC
Aria Jenneth wrote:
Entry Five: Entropy and Influences

Things change. Societies in contact influence each other. Ideas are exchanged. Blood intermingles. Distinctiveness fades. Identity-- was it ever real to begin with?-- blends, distorts, diminishes, disappears. Energy disperses. There are more disordered ways of being than there are ordered ones, so the universe tends to move towards disorder.

It's not just in the Federation. This happens everywhere, all the time. It's entropy. Entropy happens, period. That's kind of its thing.

But the life is what stands against the entropy, and that's kind of thing as well. We build societies, we construct buildings, we create order, we terraform planets and bring life to dead worlds. And our, Caldari society, is the best in this. We maintain bloodlines and prevent blood intermingling. We venerate differences and segregate people by abilities, ranging them in order...

Aria Jenneth wrote:

Most of us put some serious effort into fighting it, pouring energy into shoring up structure against encroaching chaos. The Amarr try to conquer and convert; the Minmatar try to recover and preserve; the Caldari grit their teeth and soldier on.

The Gallente ... well, they seem to kind of shrug.

They may seem that they shrug it, but in fact, they actually bring and catalyze it. Where would you find a concept of "Chaos Fighters" to be good example for imitation, if not in Federation and their pet Republic? Who if not they might go into attack, yelling "For Chaos!".. Although... yes, I have to reiterate it, that most of fighting "for the sake of chaos" comes from the Republic, but not the Federation. Yet in the Federation the Chaos and its entropy is sort of that ideal, it is the basis of their foundation.

What is surprising, they are very open in their defense and love of Chaos. While you can access to Federation streets, just stop random peoples and ask them, what are their ideals. Even if they won't give word "chaos", you could direct them into this by asking about Minmatars and their fight with Empire. Ask, what minmatars fight for, and ask what they would fight for. I am almost certain they will give straight and direct answer: for chaos.

Aria Jenneth wrote:

Before I came here, I was really unsure where the Federation thought its future was going. Now, I'm still completely unsure, but I think a lot of the Federation is as uncertain as I am.

They mostly seem kind of okay with that, though.

I am pretty much sure about this, but I guess I'll better leave it for you to investigate further... and maybe someday we could have a cup of tea together. I just... well, be careful.
And try to always have a spare weapon in your pocket, for once I thought them to be "nice" people as well...

I don't want you to repeat my mistakes. Never walk on gallentean streets unarmed. Never.

Honored are the dead, for their legacy guides us.

In memory of Tibus Heth, Caldari State Executor YC110-115, Hero and Patriot.

Aria Jenneth
Societas Imperialis Sceptri Coronaeque
Khimi Harar
#76 - 2015-09-21 18:54:17 UTC
Diana Kim wrote:
But the life is what stands against the entropy, and that's kind of thing as well. We build societies, we construct buildings, we create order, we terraform planets and bring life to dead worlds. And our, Caldari society, is the best in this. We maintain bloodlines and prevent blood intermingling. We venerate differences and segregate people by abilities, ranging them in order...

By abilities and by appearance, to keep the old bloodlines alive. Yes. But creating order always takes more energy than breaking it down.

It's a good thing we have stars, huh? The universe may tend towards cold and chaos, but we're a long way from running out of time.

Still, it feels like there might be other and less painful forms of order the Caldari could be maintaining.

Quote:
They may seem that they shrug it, but in fact, they actually bring and catalyze it. Where would you find a concept of "Chaos Fighters" to be good example for imitation, if not in Federation and their pet Republic? Who if not they might go into attack, yelling "For Chaos!".. Although... yes, I have to reiterate it, that most of fighting "for the sake of chaos" comes from the Republic, but not the Federation. Yet in the Federation the Chaos and its entropy is sort of that ideal, it is the basis of their foundation.

What is surprising, they are very open in their defense and love of Chaos. While you can access to Federation streets, just stop random peoples and ask them, what are their ideals. Even if they won't give word "chaos", you could direct them into this by asking about Minmatars and their fight with Empire. Ask, what minmatars fight for, and ask what they would fight for. I am almost certain they will give straight and direct answer: for chaos.

You might be conflating "chaos" and "freedom" a little. Then again, I guess you're not alone in that. More freedom might be thought of as allowing more chaos, though I think it's more a matter of degree than of ... well, anything elemental.

What I've been seeing in the Federation doesn't feel like chaos. It seems functional, if lively, at least day to day. Chaos would be ... a lot less livable, I would think. Harder to maintain any sort of society in.

Am I setting the bar for "chaos" too high?

Quote:
I am pretty much sure about this, but I guess I'll better leave it for you to investigate further... and maybe someday we could have a cup of tea together. I just... well, be careful.

And try to always have a spare weapon in your pocket, for once I thought them to be "nice" people as well...

I don't want you to repeat my mistakes. Never walk on gallentean streets unarmed. Never.

This is a place it seems like I need to be careful, and not just of the Gallente. What you might be implying would be ... horrendously sad. In a lot of different ways. ... If it's what it sounds like. I won't just assume.

Either way, I appreciate the advice, and will look forward to that cup of tea.
Corraidhin Farsaidh
Federal Navy Academy
Gallente Federation
#77 - 2015-09-21 21:14:52 UTC
Ms Kim,

Choas is not a bad thing as such, unguided chaos would be. Evolution is driven by chaos and nature guides the results. Strong mutations survive and enhance, the weakening changes wither and die.

Gallentean society can be similar in many ways, we seek to give the latitude for good ideas, leaps of logic, amazing performances, unusual artistic expression to thrive. The Gallente as a people don't force these ideals on others but rather give thoe who seek it the freedom to give themselves every opportunity they could want.
Elmund Egivand
Tribal Liberation Force
Minmatar Republic
#78 - 2015-09-22 01:17:15 UTC  |  Edited by: Elmund Egivand
Corraidhin Farsaidh wrote:
Ms Kim,

Choas is not a bad thing as such, unguided chaos would be. Evolution is driven by chaos and nature guides the results. Strong mutations survive and enhance, the weakening changes wither and die.

Gallentean society can be similar in many ways, we seek to give the latitude for good ideas, leaps of logic, amazing performances, unusual artistic expression to thrive. The Gallente as a people don't force these ideals on others but rather give thoe who seek it the freedom to give themselves every opportunity they could want.


Chaos is nothing more than physical laws or systems that are affected by large number of variables, where a slight change in just a single variable results in wildly drastic change in the observable effect.

Anyhow, the Gallente Federation rarely does conquest of any kind. Their culture, however, seeps all around like a chemical spill into cloth. I had seen many Matari families within the Federation splitting apart as the younger generation decided to leave the Matari ways to partake in the Gallente way of doing things, that being drifting about trying to experience in as many things as they can. A life without focus, if you will. In time, many of them find their niche or create their own chains and discover their focus. Just as many however continue to drift about without cause and a regrettably large number straight up fall through the cracks and become destitute and dependent.

Very few actually return to the fold.

This same problem has plagued the Minmatar Republic when the Republic tried to emulate the Federation mode of government. Families drifting apart, and worse, citizens taking up lifestyles they simply don't have the economic means to sustain. In hindsight, it wasn't surprising that Shakor eventually decided to dissolve the Parliament and rebuild the Republic from the rubble again.

A Minmatar warship is like a rusting Beetle with 500 horsepower Cardillac engines in the rear, armour plating bolted to chassis and a M2 Browning stuck on top.

Tyrel Toov
Non-Hostile Target
Wild Geese.
#79 - 2015-09-22 01:27:57 UTC
Elmund Egivand wrote:
In hindsight, it wasn't surprising that Shakor eventually decided to dissolve the Parliament and rebuild the Republic from the rubble again.

Nothing against the Federation, but this was a good move..... at least in my opinion.

I want to paint my ship Periwinkle.

Elmund Egivand
Tribal Liberation Force
Minmatar Republic
#80 - 2015-09-22 01:37:19 UTC
Tyrel Toov wrote:
Elmund Egivand wrote:
In hindsight, it wasn't surprising that Shakor eventually decided to dissolve the Parliament and rebuild the Republic from the rubble again.

Nothing against the Federation, but this was a good move..... at least in my opinion.


Who really knows? As it is now, the Republic is still trying to find its footing. Chains of responsibilities are still quite unclear (remember Colelie?), passions and fiery emotions still worm their way into the decision-making process (remember Colelie?) and a very large people in positions of power are confused about whether they are acting as representatives of their Tribes or as representatives of the Republic as a whole.

Give the Republic another half a century and see if anything is working properly.

A Minmatar warship is like a rusting Beetle with 500 horsepower Cardillac engines in the rear, armour plating bolted to chassis and a M2 Browning stuck on top.