Tilting at Windmills in eRepublik

Day 1,145, 22:24 • Published in Belgium USA • by MaryamQ

Gentle Readers,

Having had a VPh.D with the Chair in the Philosophy of Happiness conferred on me by the Free University, I am taking it upon myself to share the wisdom which they have so amply bestowed upon me with a lesson on the quixotic in eRepublik. Undoubtedly some of you are wondering what Maryam is carrying on about now. Well, in the past several weeks, besides my studies at Free U. and my political and military activities here in eBelgium, I have been priviliged to read some comparisons of the eWorld to novels from the mythical “Real Life”. Among these have been this by Arjay Phoenician with this reaction by our own mittekemuis and this by Thedillpickl. While I have been impressed by their insights, I have a somewhat different view, albeit (with apologies to mitte) possibly also a bit stereotypical, of those who are citizens of the New World.



Fans of Monty Python of eUK or students of more traditional history may recall the Spanish Inquisition, in which thosewho did not conform to the officially approved views were subject to arrest, torture, prosecution, and possibly execution. During this time, Don Quixote, an eRussian who for some reason apparently was located in La Mancha for a time, was introduced to the world in a lengthy novel and a sequel by the famous eUkrainian Cervantes, who was unfortunately banned, possibly for his unorthodoxy. As told by Cervantes' novel and subsequent other art forms, including the eBroadway musical, Man of La Mancha, Don Quixote was a respectable elderly gentleman who immersed himself in writings about chivalry and became obsessed with the idea that the world ought to be more like the one described in those writings. Instead of sitting and complaining about it, he decided to go out into the world and try to make things right.

Now Don Quixote did not conform to others' ideas of what was normal, to the point that many thought he was crazy, and he made those of his own family and household extremely uncomfortable with his exploits. He fought giants which only he recognized as giants, but others saw as windmills. From this we get our expression “tilting at windmills”, meaning fighting for a hopeless and possibly pointless cause. He idealized a young woman of low birth and little respectability, treating her as if she were in fact a high-born lady. He fought for what he believed was right, even when others did not see what he saw. In short, he was the ultimate role player. In the story, he died lonely and defeated, having been overcome by his niece's fiance with a trick and confined to his home, although in the musical at least we are led to believe that a very few people did catch his vision, at a least to a certain degree.



In this game, there are a few quixotic souls. Many of these are indeed role players, although not all role players are quixotic. Those who are frequently cling to the belief that we do not have to make the New World just like the “Real World”. They believe we can and should champion the weak, and not trample them underfoot just because we can. They fight because they believe it is the right thing to do, for people who sometimes don't appreciate what is sacrificed for them. They try to right wrongs and live by high ideals.

On the other side of this conflict stand many (but not all) game mechanics advocates. These are the ones who feel all is fair as long as you play by the rules (or don't get caught cheating), that might does make right, and who often will tell those that don't conform to their views that they should quit whining or simply quit. They don't necessarily harbor RL hatreds and attitudes, but they are perfectly willing to take advantage of them to win.

The message of Don Quixote, as I see it, is that the idealists and romantics among us will probably never win against the conformists in the New World or RL, just as those who did not conform did not win against the Inquisitors on the whole, but it still matters that we do not let them defeat us. We can still find and inspire each other and play the game our way. As Don Quixote sings in “The Impossible Dream”, “the world will be better for this”.

I wrote this long before I heard of eRepublik, but I believe it fits.

Modern Quixote

His rusted and dented armor
Does not fit
The corporate dress code.
Nobody travels by horse any more.
Windmills and dragons
Are in short supply.
And damsels,
Even distressed ones,
Are too liberated to need knights.

In a world where
Poetry lacks rhyme and form,
He tilts on,
The unrepentant romantic,
Unwilling to quit the quest,
Knowing if chivalry dies,
So do we all. 

Don't let eChivalry die, my friends! The eWorld needs the quixotic among us, whether they know it or not. Keep reaching for the best, and even if the world doesn't become better, you will.