In this essay, I will argue that above all else, we must hold the Concordat supreme. I will argue this by talking about the relationship between Resident and State, our role as a roleplay region, and our bonds as a community. I will also argue that this Concordat must display the roles and responsibilities both parties may have. In the end, I will also comment on the dynamic nature of the Concordat, and what that means about our region.
To start with, what is the Concordat? In many ways, it is the founding document of TEP. It is the inheritor of the Charter, and contains within it the lineation of TEP. Without it, there can be no State nor Resident, as it is within the Concordat are those represented. In this way, the State acts as the government of TEP, and Resident acts as the citizenry and residents of TEP. In other terms, the Concordat is the contract that binds us.
From here, we ask another question: What does the Concordat define? For one thing, it defines, in minute detail, the 4 branches of Government, with all of its checks and balances. This definition stems from our understanding of State’s power over the residency: Through these checks and balances, the State ensures that they always act for the people. This minute definition of the State also allows for transparancy: the existence of a Rule of Law. Every action that the government takes, whether by passing a law to breaking a treaty to holding trials, are born from the rights and responsibilities invested upon them by the Concordat. This allows for a transparant government that shows that it follows the rules. In turn, the Resident’s Rights and Duties are also defined: The right to a trial, the duty to vote for a good Delegate and good Concordat amendments, and most importantly, the right to live in TEP.
“Living in TEP”, for this essay, means to get involved with its community. For many, this would be the RMB. Others, the Forums. The RP communities are considered one of TEP’s biggest sectors, and the discord is pretty active as well. “Community” is one of TEP’s most integral ideals, with all else second to serving that community. It is here where the role of the State must be most involved in, as it acts as an IC enforcer and defender of the community. In short, the State aids in the formation of the community by creating a space for Residents to form sub communties and sectors. Every action must lead towards this simple truth.
This formation of community, however, must not be too heavy-handed. The autonomy of the RP sectors have been respected for decades now, and the RMB and Discord are often moderated by OOC elements. No, the State’s role is not to be the busy-body, the interferer of all, but to serve them by taking actions they either cannot or do not. An example of this would most definitely be Foreign Affairs. Our FA creed, “friendship for all”, is born from our desire to be independent. That does not mean that we are forever neutral, nor does it mean that we shall always take sides. As Ex-Delegate Shadow would put it, “TEP does what TEP likes”. And what TEP likes is to have a good community, a community where anyone can join and talk and rant about their dreams, feelings, foods, sorrows, etc. The State ensures the autonomy of the community by gathering within it all the necessary political instruments with which to play the wider NS game. Those who wish to play the game may join freely, as seen in our accepting Magisterial/Executive applications process, and those who don’t may find other communities that may better suit their tastes.
Note however, that I do not advocate for the complete separation between State and Resident, nor do I claim that the Concordat is perfect. The separation between State and Resident will lead to the collapse of both, and the Concordat will never be perfect. What I argue, however, is that State and Resident are united through the Concordat. Through the Concordat, we agree and disagree on how the State plays its games, and how the Residents conduct themselves. Holding the Concordat supreme does not mean viewing it as a static object of agreement, but rather a dynamic medium where anyone may argue for and against how TEP should conduct themselves, be it Resident Rights, how we handle the F/S update, or even the merits of Forums versus Discord versus RMB. The Concordat, through its status as the highest law of the region, can therefore act as the hardest limits that we hold ourselves to.
We stand in a very volatile position. The region has been criticised repeatedly for its independent nature, our “inability to choose a side”. But I know TEP. I know the struggles that we continue to write, our desires for and against security, the tradeoffs of allowing RMB voting, our fears, our joys, our passions. And I know that all of it is to make our community better, to protect each other. We choose our side. This doesn’t mean that we only remain within our region either, too. We also stand by our friends, Thaecia, The Free Nations Federation, The Alstroemerian Commonwealths, and all those who we can consider friends. In the end, through the arguments, through the Hunger Games, through the discord pings, we find an aspect of TEP. The Concordat is the crystallization of the community, which is why we hold it supreme.
Through the bad times and the good, TEP was there with me. I hope that everyone in TEP can be with each other, as well.