Post by Viktor l Aleksandr on Dec 23, 2015 2:28:52 GMT 2
Sadly it appears that for all intensive purposes the Empire of Thrace is now dead. That is very sad. In my last days as emperor we struggled with the dwindling participation and activity on the forum etc and we tried to come up with new things to motivate people to be active but it seemed like nothing we did really helped. To have a community takes everyone's participation and just not one or a few. Now we see the end result of that lack of participation, sadly, today.
For all of those who check in on this forum ever so often I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I have often thought of this season as a time of reflection. A time for looking back over the past and seeing what has been accomplished and what has failed to be accomplished. It is also a time for new beginnings. Sometimes such new beginnings require new directions and/or moving on into uncharted territory. It is a time for trying new things but most especially, for me, this season is one of hope. Hope for the future and hope for betterment in all aspects.
In this season it is important to not only remember our loved ones and for making amends but it is also a time for reaching out to those in human society who are less fortunate and those who have been marginalized in some way. It is a time for speaking out for those who have no voice and standing up for those who cannot defend themselves. This season is a season for and about humanity and our hopes. It is a time for making new choices. Afterall, life is about choices, good or bad, right or wrong. With those choices come consequences and rewards so let us be mindful of both and not simply the rewards.
Thrace never was intended to be a role playing game. It was formed as a real micronation with real people in real places doing real things. That said, I think one of the biggest failures of Thrace was our lack of engaging in the real world. It was so easy to get lost in fantasy and role playing and it is always so easy to get lost from reality for many. Perhaps that was our greatest mistake and misfortune.
The human condition as it exists this Christmas Season 2015 is for many the worst ever known. War and turmoil abound. Terrorism is the great demon that plagues us all and just when we thought we've seen the most horrendous things these terrorists do something even more horrendous! In many ways our modern world has become a place in which right has become wrong and wrong has become right. Up is down and down is up and everything seems to have been turned inside out. Greed is the king of the day along with its spouse known as gross materialism. Human life has been devalued and is considered not only cheap by many but expendable for even the slightest reason or justification. When I consider all of this I must conclude that humanity has lost its way. We've lost our humanity in many respects and that is very sad in my mind.
All around the world it seems that great leaders have become a thing of the past and what we have today in many places are either ruthless dictators (monsters) or weak leaders who rule at the expense of their own peoples futures. Many nations among humanity today have no vision. There's a bit of old wisdom that says where the people have no hope or vision, the people perish. Sadly, many people, many nations are perishing and most don't even know it yet but the writing is on the wall plainly.
As we come to this Christmas 2015 and the end of the year many people are living lives of struggle. We've been reduced to consumer machines in industrialized nations and in third world nations the people have been reduced to serfdom! At one time in my younger days I thought that surely by now humanity would have made astounding leaps not only in technology but in the way we treat each other. I thought that surely by now we'd be living in communities that were environmentally friendly and we'd be sailing through the stars discovering new worlds and new civilizations. But, sadly, none of this has happened and in many ways when I look at the world (humanity) I see what may be a de-evolution rather than an evolution. Humanity deserves better than this!
I have always thought that what is most important in this life is not things, status, or career but PEOPLE. I still hold that as a primary value. When everything else is gone all we have left is each other. People are important no matter what their circumstance, past, present, mistakes, or anything else. When we turn away from others we become selfish and blind. I see a lot of this in the world today, unfortunately. But, there is ALWAYS the possibility of change! And change only happens with people!
As your former emperor I bless all of you who read this. It is my sincere hope that this Christmas Season will be one of prosperity, hope, and renewal for you and your families. I pray for you and I pray for what is left of our little micronation here. Will Thrace be dealt a final fatal blow or will it somehow be reborn? That is really up to you and us, the people.
May our one Universal Creator bless you this season and guide your hearts.
Sincerely,
Viktor I Aleksandr
Former Emperor of Thrace
Christmas 2015
For all of those who check in on this forum ever so often I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I have often thought of this season as a time of reflection. A time for looking back over the past and seeing what has been accomplished and what has failed to be accomplished. It is also a time for new beginnings. Sometimes such new beginnings require new directions and/or moving on into uncharted territory. It is a time for trying new things but most especially, for me, this season is one of hope. Hope for the future and hope for betterment in all aspects.
In this season it is important to not only remember our loved ones and for making amends but it is also a time for reaching out to those in human society who are less fortunate and those who have been marginalized in some way. It is a time for speaking out for those who have no voice and standing up for those who cannot defend themselves. This season is a season for and about humanity and our hopes. It is a time for making new choices. Afterall, life is about choices, good or bad, right or wrong. With those choices come consequences and rewards so let us be mindful of both and not simply the rewards.
Thrace never was intended to be a role playing game. It was formed as a real micronation with real people in real places doing real things. That said, I think one of the biggest failures of Thrace was our lack of engaging in the real world. It was so easy to get lost in fantasy and role playing and it is always so easy to get lost from reality for many. Perhaps that was our greatest mistake and misfortune.
The human condition as it exists this Christmas Season 2015 is for many the worst ever known. War and turmoil abound. Terrorism is the great demon that plagues us all and just when we thought we've seen the most horrendous things these terrorists do something even more horrendous! In many ways our modern world has become a place in which right has become wrong and wrong has become right. Up is down and down is up and everything seems to have been turned inside out. Greed is the king of the day along with its spouse known as gross materialism. Human life has been devalued and is considered not only cheap by many but expendable for even the slightest reason or justification. When I consider all of this I must conclude that humanity has lost its way. We've lost our humanity in many respects and that is very sad in my mind.
All around the world it seems that great leaders have become a thing of the past and what we have today in many places are either ruthless dictators (monsters) or weak leaders who rule at the expense of their own peoples futures. Many nations among humanity today have no vision. There's a bit of old wisdom that says where the people have no hope or vision, the people perish. Sadly, many people, many nations are perishing and most don't even know it yet but the writing is on the wall plainly.
As we come to this Christmas 2015 and the end of the year many people are living lives of struggle. We've been reduced to consumer machines in industrialized nations and in third world nations the people have been reduced to serfdom! At one time in my younger days I thought that surely by now humanity would have made astounding leaps not only in technology but in the way we treat each other. I thought that surely by now we'd be living in communities that were environmentally friendly and we'd be sailing through the stars discovering new worlds and new civilizations. But, sadly, none of this has happened and in many ways when I look at the world (humanity) I see what may be a de-evolution rather than an evolution. Humanity deserves better than this!
I have always thought that what is most important in this life is not things, status, or career but PEOPLE. I still hold that as a primary value. When everything else is gone all we have left is each other. People are important no matter what their circumstance, past, present, mistakes, or anything else. When we turn away from others we become selfish and blind. I see a lot of this in the world today, unfortunately. But, there is ALWAYS the possibility of change! And change only happens with people!
As your former emperor I bless all of you who read this. It is my sincere hope that this Christmas Season will be one of prosperity, hope, and renewal for you and your families. I pray for you and I pray for what is left of our little micronation here. Will Thrace be dealt a final fatal blow or will it somehow be reborn? That is really up to you and us, the people.
May our one Universal Creator bless you this season and guide your hearts.
Sincerely,
Viktor I Aleksandr
Former Emperor of Thrace
Christmas 2015