posted on Nov, 16 2005 @ 04:09 PM
Firstly I'd like to say a very big thank you to everybody that voted for me, and everybody else that didn't too for taking part!
I hope everybody had fun and I'd like to take this oppurtunity to say a big congratulations to everybody else that won in the election and a big
thumbs up to everyone else that took part and good luck next time!
Hey and DJ, May - good luck in your election!! Hot stuff going on there, this is what elections are all about ladies and gentlemen - wooooohoOO!
Meanwhile, I've had some thoughts that I would like to share with all of you - I've been celebrating (sad isn't it?) so I do apologise in
advance.......
Over the years (only the last 2 or so for me) we have all watched ATS grow. It started as a small forum quite some while ago and has grown into the
large on-line community that it is today.
We have gone from a small country pub into a large metropolis - with a large number of people from all around the world, an incredible number of
forums spanning five boards, a chat room, podcasts, a future TV show and an internet News channel, various levels of staff and (of course) elected
council members... (all amongst other things I have probably forgotten).
We have, as a community, gone from strength to strength - all this with an incredible group of leaders, pioneers even in this field, and a really
amazing group of members.
In amongst this growth we get our own fair share of problems, we have disputes over freedom of speech, human rights, 'living' conditions, policing,
staff(government) behaviour, services, etc and a number of people that just wish to sabotage anything they come across in some sort of warped ideal of
personal satisfaction.
I think that the community here at ATS, both with it's problems and it's gains, is a good depiction of the world around us in the problems
associated with economic, technical and physical growth. Here at ATS we have the advantage of our own microcosm to study, in itself a 'model' if you
will of the world we see around us, the world that we all want to change for the better.
By observing the outside world around us, we can learn from it's mistakes and the flaws we so readily criticise, using the information to help us
keep ATS growing into the future, into something even better than what we enjoy today.
But in doing this we can also see how we can improve the world around us and find ways to adapt the philosophies we live by here, in a way that will
help our planet and our people grow.
This may sound like a daunting and unrealistic task, but even in my personal little world the ideas and lessons that I learn here I use and adapt into
my physical life away from the computer. The same also goes the other way, I often bring ideas and common sense back into the online world and try and
use it to keep a fair and realistic edge on events.
Myself, as most of us, cannot complete this task alone - alone we all are susceptible to our own personal fears, ambitions and the inevitable
corruption of power.. But together we can keep each other in check and work together towards a brighter future.
We all have the power to make a difference, all changes amount to something bigger along the line, no matter how insignificant they seem at the time.
Even if 1 of us only influences 2 people, those 2 people may influence others and yet others.
In all of this though there is one concern, one problem, we must all face and solve. We have to make sure that the information we give and influence
people with is correct, we have to make sure there are no mistakes or we will face the guilt of knowing that dis or mis-information may have, or has,
directly influenced events which may change the world for the worse. However we equally have the power to change the world for the better, that is
what we must strive for.
As this community grows our ideas and philosophies will reach out even further and have even more potential to mold the ideas that future generations
build their destiny upon.
This is the responsibility we face and a situation we have to be ready to deal with because what was once just idle chit-chat is now a significant
influence on the entire world we see around us, the one that concerns us here so much and the one that forms the legacy to our children.
We must not forget either to have fun and look at the brighter side of life, otherwise we will build ourselves a 'perfect' world, yet one which has
no fun or joy, one which is not worth saving... This is a mammoth task, yet one we have a real oppurtunity to take part in - we must all work together
for a better future and a world which denies ignorance!
[edit on 16-11-2005 by AgentSmith]