Post #96441
April 30, 2017, 07:14:30 PM
I've never seen Wintreath as just a NationStates region, or a forum, or even a community, but as a cause...a cause for an inclusive, fun, freewheeling society, where anyone can do almost anything, where ideas can take shape and be realized, and where possibilities exist that are hard to find elsewhere. That's why I put so much work into Wintreath, because it represents a cause that I believe in.
Take me for example...in real life I'm a nobody. I don't have the social skills to be popular or the money to do much besides buy what I need from paycheck to paycheck. At work I'm a peon that's fairly far down the ladder, in a department that few people look to for ideas and solutions the way they should (in fairness, this is typical for IT)...maybe once in awhile the powers that be will allow me to run with an idea, so long as the tedious stuff they need is done first. I'm not saying that I don't like my job...I appreciate a lot of things about it, but I'm not really in a position to make a difference.
But here...I feel like I'm really building something that makes a difference in people's lives. People tell me time and time again that they've found an acceptance here that they couldn't find anywhere else...that they found friends (and in some cases more than that) that appreciate and understand them...that found a belonging that was elusive. That's what makes this worthwhile for me, and what makes me keep going.
What really pisses me off and honestly even hurts me, is when people who are in positions of responsibility here make light of their inactivity here, or even worse, make light of the time and effort I put in here. I'm not saying that anyone should have to put in what I do, but at the same time nobody was forced into a position...everyone volunteered or accepted an offer to help me build this community and the causes it represents. And when they do so, I trust that it's because they want to invest themselves in the community and make an impact in ways that only they can...that they, too, want to make a difference for people. When I read things like that, it's a slap in the face because it's like saying they can't be bothered...would rather be elsewhere, would rather be doing other things.
And it's fine to rather be doing other things, but it's not fine to keep a position that gets ignored because you'd rather be doing other things. I've always been lenient towards people in appointed positions who had gone inactive, because I understand that people get busy sometimes, and things like work and school have to come first. I would never expect anyone to put volunteer responsibilities before making a living. But now I feel like I've been too lenient, and I've given people the idea that they can have a position without the position's responsibilities. That's simply not true...it never has been and it never will be, and if the mistake is mine, it's one that I will endeavor to correct.
