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SNAFU Notes Accomplishments For Us

Stetson76

By Stetson76
in Alliance Announcements (IC)

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Stetson76 Newbie

Stetson76

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[size="3"][center][img]http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn59/Stetson1376/Snafu_flag-1.png[/img][/center]

[i]A loud POP sounds in the back of the hall. As the lights blink out a quiet murmur begins to move through the crowd...[/i]

[i]When a voice rings out of the darkness[/i][b] "Sorry! Wrong button,"[/b] [i]the lights flash back on temporarily blinding everyone gathered for what they think is a momentous occasion. As their vision clears the people notice that there is now a man wearing a faded cowboy hat standing on the podium where moments before there had been no one.[/i]

[b]"Ladies and Gentlemen of the world, I come before you on this dark day to share your grief and mourn our failings."[/b] [i]The man pauses and takes a long drink from the 2 liter bottle of Diet Pepsi at his side.[/i]

[b]"There comes a time in every leader's reign when it must be acknowledged that the best efforts of even the greatest of heroes cannot help to stem the tide of awesomeness that is SNAFU."[/b]

[i]With this statement many in the crowd begin to look at each other with somber but puzzled expressions.[/i]

[b]"Today I must come before you to call out those individuals who have risen above the occasional blunder that has been a hallmark of SNAFU from it's very foundation."[/b]

[b]"Let me begin by presenting the one award which I had thought to be lost in the depths of our ennui, the SNAFU Award of Excellence."[/b]

[i]As random and disjointed claps begin to sound within the hall, he continues.[/i]

[b]"In the finest tradition of SNAFU's record keeping department it has come to my attention that this award has been previously awarded and it was never officially announced. So, in the interests of clearing up our backlog of notices, while simultaneously ensuring we don't drag this out too long and give other members ideas of stepping up and going above and beyond the call of duty, it is with a heavy heart that I award the SNAFU Award of Excellence to:"

[center]Madam CaVi of Spehan (Postdated Oct. 2, 2008)

[img]http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn59/Stetson1376/SNAFUOrderofExcellence-1.gif[/img]

Thoughberry of Newest Amsterdam (Apr. 28, 2010)

[img]http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn59/Stetson1376/SNAFUOrderofExcellence-1.gif[/img][/center][/b]

[i]Feeling more confident now, the crowd breaks out in sustained cheering and applause. Seeing this the man pushes his hat back and with a confused look and continues.[/i]

[b]"Both of these individuals have truly redefined what it means to be a member of SNAFU. So much so that their example has encouraged members new and old to take that next step from mere citizen to bureaucrats of the finest order. Masters of red tape and diplomatic doublespeak one and all. These individuals have gone through the most grueling and protracted election process known to man and come through on the other side winners of the coveted deputy positions, guaranteeing lifelong pensions and the lightest workload in the known world. So, without further ado, I present the newest deputies to grace our alliance's halls:"

[center]Deputy Director of Illicit Affairs: Recruits - InfidelIsraeli of Danish Bagel Factory

Deputy Director of Illicit Affairs: Citizens - Steelese of Left of Salt Lake

Deputy Director of Damage Control: Rogues - Thanos47 of Hasham Israel

Deputy Director of Damage Control: Companies - Wfbone of COMCS

Deputy Director of Making Nations Rich: Tech - Ikenna AO of Ningexas

Deputy Director of Alliance Relations: Relations - Murder of Empire of Murder[/center]

"May Admin have mercy on our souls."[/b]

[i]With the crowd in a near fever pitch the man finally comes to a realization "These people are happy about this stuff!"

Now sporting a wide grin, he yells with a raised voice and a fist pump.[/i]

[b]"AND NOT ONLY THAT! SNAFU has reached 1 million nation strength for the second time!"[/b]

[i]With that pronouncement he pulls a cord next to the podium and water begins to cascade down upon the crowd inciting a near riot as people exit the auditorium amid screams and howls. As the sprinkler system drenches the man and the hall empties he hears a plaintive voice from behind the curtain.[/i]

[b]"Sorry about that, wrong cord!"[/b]

[i]And with that the curtain falls from in front of a huge screen.[/i]

[center][img] http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn59/Stetson1376/1milNSx2.png[/img][/center]

[i]Turning his head the man glances up at the screen with a wry expression on his face as a loud POP echoes through the room, sparks come flying from the control booth and the hall goes dark once again.[/i]



tl;dr

Madam CaVi and Thoughberry are awesome, SNAFU had its first ever elections for deputy positions and has reached 1 million nation strength for the second time following the Bi-Polar war.[/size]

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murder Newbie

murder

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W00t!!!

Good elections all!

Just introducing myself, I'm Murder, and I am the new Deputy of Alliance Relations, so just message me in game, on the forums, or query me in IRC if you ever need to talk with me!!!

:ph34r:

Also, grats to all the other winners of the elections!!!

o/ SNAFU

Edited by murder
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Madam CaVi Newbie

Madam CaVi

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Congratulations to my fellow AoE recipient! I <3 ya man.

Congratulations to all the members of SNAFU that just won elections. I would also like to personally thank all those that ran for office whether they were elected or not. SNAFU appreciates it and YOU!

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thoughberry Newbie

thoughberry

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Thank you Stetson, CaVi and SNAFU!

This is an awesome honor and I will wear it with pride. Let the good works continue!

Congrats to all of the new deputies - the elections were awesome and the campaigns were well run.

And thanks for all the good words guys and gals 0/ SNAFU

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Buffalo Niagara Newbie

Buffalo Niagara

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Lighting a candle the ole buffalo walks up to the man in the big ole cowboy hat and congratulates him for reaching the goals, drenching the crowd and giving him a chance to get some of these stinky candles out of Olympus halls.

Congrats to our all our brothers and sisters in SNAFU, may your newly elected government guide you with the steady hand that those before have charted for your alliance.

o/ SNAFU
o/ Stetson (btw, I love reading your mishaps they are awesome my friend)

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Itsuki Koizumi Newbie

Itsuki Koizumi

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[quote name='Infidel Israeli' date='29 April 2010 - 03:34 PM' timestamp='1272569653' post='2280158']
Hey, I'm mentioned here!
[/quote]
how did you manage that [img]http://se.sosdancn.org/public/style_emoticons/default/1245947316230.png.emo.png[/img]

Edited by Itsuki Koizumi
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Stetson76 Newbie

Stetson76

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[quote name='kriekfreak' date='29 April 2010 - 04:35 AM' timestamp='1272533694' post='2279719']
Congratz Snafu :)
[/quote]

I can quite honestly say that we wouldn't have had the opportunity to reach 1 mil NS for a second time without your help Arexes. LOL

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Adificio Depereo Newbie

Adificio Depereo

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Congratulations to my fellow members. You guys rock and keep up SNAFU to it's usual crazy standards! Great work on containing that lesbian panda and ten-arm raccoon infestation contained within the forums, but you guys cannot keep this down!

[size=7][center]The Absurd[/center][/size]

[center][size="3"]An Essay by Adificio Depereo[/size][/center]

[font="Times New Roman"]The one concept which stands above all other ideas as the most important is the meaning of life. Until the question regarding the meaning of life has been completely answered we cannot even hope to continue on with any other concept effectively. Now the question to the meaning of life has had many answers in the past, many interpretations, and many thinkers adding their own little ideas to the concept. I, however, feel that to find an answer to the meaning of life one must look at its polar opposite; death. What is death? What is the meaning of death? Easily answered, death is the end of life. It is what makes life finite; it keeps the population from exploding and makes sure that we don’t overpopulate too quickly. Death is the state of being where one no longer communicates, moves, or does anything. Death is absolute. Death cannot be escaped, nor can it be beaten. Death shall take each of us, and it shall keep us forever.
When looking at this can we even hope to find a purpose to life? What truly is the purpose to life if death awaits us no matter the person? There are no actions that can counteract death. There is nothing great enough to keep us from completely being remembered as a person, only as an idea (in the case that our actions affect history). Does anyone remember Shakespeare, the man, or do they remember his words? Can anyone claim to know anything more about Jesus or the Buddha than what others said about them? Of course we do not nor cannot remember them as people. We remember an idea, a semblance of these great changers of history. And when looking at these facts, and staring the concept of Death right in the face, everything becomes hopeless and meaningless. There is no point to life, if the end result is the same for us all.
The thought process when actually accepting this realizes that the Absurd is the point of life. There is absolutely no meaning or value in what one does. What then? How does one live on with the realization that everything they do is a pretense to that ultimate nothing? It is as though an actor has been deprived of his setting, a prophet of his religion, a lover without his love. When the Absurd has invaded one’s life and deprived you of everything what can you do? To my mind there are only three answers to counteract the madness of the Absurd; Suicide, Religiosity, and simply Living (in spite of everything).
We begin with the most ridiculous answer to the Absurd simply to show that this is not some tract on the virtues of suicide (despite being an admirer, I feel Shakespeare idealized suicide far too much). To the contrary, suicide is the least viable (though obviously the most easy) of options for the very reason that everything is Absurd. The reason for this is the fact that rarely does someone kill himself after a period of reflection on the meaning of life. More often than not, suicide comes as a result of the undermining of one’s own happiness. The deaths of family members, the confirmation that one has a limited amount of time to live, or the loss of one’s wealth serve as excellent examples of this undermining of personal happiness. People at this stage feel that there is nothing left to live for after suffering such losses and subsequently kill themselves (this is not a universal statement, just one inclusive of those who do commit suicide). One would argue that this conclusion is the same as grasping the Absurd, but it is not. Had they truly understood the Absurd and all of its connotations they would have known all along that the losses that they must bear were an inevitability that would come at one point or another and would not let these occurrences deter them, much less drive them to kill themselves.
For if indeed everything we do is Absurd, then assuredly suicide is the most ridiculous of Absurd actions that we may take. What is the point of killing oneself and depriving said same self of the one thing that at least one has? With all the losses that one bears the one thing that they must at least realize they have is life. The Absurd may be infallible, but at least one has this life with which to defy the Absurd. To just end everything in hopes of making it “go away,” is no way to circumvent the Absurd, it is only bringing the inevitability forward much sooner than originally expected and letting the Absurd truly take and rule all over you. I reiterate that suicide is rarely committed as a result of a long deep reflection and seeing that everything is useless, it comes with a fit of passion usually stemming from a loss or the possibility of losing someone or something important. The only suicide that serves a philosophical purpose is one where one has had everything that could be asked for (let us assume love, wealth, health, fame and wisdom) but still realizes that there is no answer to the meaning of life in relation to the individual and therefore takes his own life. And rarer still than a thoughtful suicide would be the person that fits that criterion of happiness perfectly and still kills himself (for again, suicide usually comes as a result of some perceived tragedy or a sense of dissatisfaction with one’s life).
The second means by which to defy the Absurd is to adopt a sense of religiosity, or to deny the Absurd altogether. Before I go on, I feel it is necessary to mention that religiosity is something that is inherent in many people, and it is the option often taken by people (subconsciously) to battle back the Absurd and keep from realizing it and its presence in our lives. Søren Kierkegaard regarded this method the most viable of options, for what better way to keep the notion of the Absurd at bay than to think to oneself that there is something beyond life, or that there was a point to one’s own actions? There really can’t be anything better than to just say that the Absurd is complete absurdity because of the fact that everything that is being done now will be reflected tomorrow. Albert Camus however regarded this as philosophical suicide. Is one supposed to go into denial simply to make amends with a concept that defies all belief, is what he asked of Kierkegaard’s work (of course these are laymen’s terms). It is true that a sense of religiosity does not directly confront the Absurd. But one must ask, can anyone really defy the Absurd and win? Is it not better to at least live in denial and at least find some semblance of happiness than to live forever deprived of the thing that made life worth living? As to whether or not the question of religiosity is the correct answer to the Absurd boils down to the same arguments that are being waged on whether or not medication should be used to help those in mental duress. It is down to preference and belief at the very end of the argument.
I also do not want the reader to misinterpret what I mean by religiosity. Religiosity may mean take on a religion and believe in a deity, however when I say religiosity I mean literally any belief that keeps one from realizing the Absurd. When asked why someone needed clothing if they were not going to wear it for more than once, a young lady told me that, “It just felt good.” When asked about why he subscribed to Christianity he said, “Because it’s right.” I can find no difference in between the two statements (other than words). Both make one happy irrationally and have no reason for being believed in at all except for a sense of faith in the power of these ideas. The current idealization of the Scarface (as in the film starring Al Pacino) lifestyle is as much a form of religiosity, as the belief in an Abrahamic religion. Religiosity can be any one belief as to how life should be lived (indeed even Absurdism could become a religion, albeit a depressing one). It does not matter if it lies in believing in a god or in believing that buying a bunch of clothes is the way to happiness, or perhaps even in loving another person, it is all religiosity.
Yet, I suppose the next question to arise would be, what can one do if one has realized the Absurd and cannot go back to religiosity? Indeed, it is the same concept as the man who attempted to return to the cave where he and his fellow prisoners had lived all their lives. After this man had had freedom and seen the outside, the cave was just not what it once was to him. It was something that fell short, and indeed an attempted return to religiosity would more than likely result in the same disappointment that the man had in the Allegory of the Cave. What then?
If suicide and religiosity are unviable then the only solution that I can think of thus far is the simple continued existence. I have no answer beyond that. I cannot give a universal answer that encompasses everyone. There will always be some exception to whatever universal rule I could attempt to create. We must continue in the hopes of finding something meaningful that would make the Absurd a little less depressing in our eyes. We should continue in spite of the Absurd. We have to continue on in the same fashion that the universe treats us; with supreme indifference and uncaring. Yes, all things that we do will have no meaning. Yes, everything that we achieve is going to mean nothing in the future (sometimes even as close as the next instant). But at the very least we realized what is happening and can truly say, “It doesn’t matter.” What better way to defeat the Absurd than to both acknowledge its supremacy and continue as though it were not superior at all? “The greatest battle won is sometimes the battle not fought,” is the only quote I can think of that so well matches our current struggle against the Absurd. To simply stop struggling against it and continue on, what could be greater than that? It is absolute freedom.
Yet it is not a freedom that our nature easily allows to happen. This much I can acknowledge. Many of us never come to the point that we can truly say that there is no meaning to anything and continue on in spite of this fact. Up to now, I think only Camus’ character Meursault from The Stranger comes close to fulfilling this ideal (although he died soon after this realization. Whether or not he could have lived an entire lifetime like this can be left only to speculation). Perhaps, to come to the point of simply Living in spite of the Absurd may not be feasible at all to most people, and only exists in stories. Yet still, it is a possibility and quite honestly it seems as though it is the most logical of the three possibilities that came to mind.
Now, let us return to the question first posed in this essay; what is the meaning of life? The meaning of life is the Absurd. We now get to a more important question, how does one handle the Absurd? I have put forth three options; Suicide, Religiosity, and Living (in spite of everything). We have seen that Suicide is not a viable option at all (though still an option), and that Religiosity is not for everyone, yet Living (in spite of everything) seems to be as close to a universal answer that I can come to in this struggle against the Absurd. Is everything here debatable? Yes, everything is debatable. I cannot make you believe that everything is Absurd (most especially for those in a stage of religiosity), yet I can put out what I think one can do should one find that everything is Absurd and pointless. Kierkegaard said that to finally understand the Absurd and realize it absolutely is nothing but “demoniac madness.” For some it can be; after all one has been deprived of everything that once had meaning. How can one not almost go mad? Yet I believe once the rage and the madness passes (a stage of panic I like to think of it as), one may come to the calm realization that this is what life is and begin to deal with it as best as possible. It is my hope that one does so at least, with logic intact and the third, and perhaps even second option I put up here being their choice. Perhaps the meaning of life is nothing but absurdity and nonsense and there is no point to anything we may do in life, but we can at least try our best to find something resembling solace on the way to the inevitable fate that we all share. [/font]

I pwn a11 j00 n00bz!!

Edited by Adificio Depereo
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