The "death is preferable to slavery" argument

Some people justify shooting ships carrying slaves by arguing that death is a better fate than slavery.

I personally choose not to justify causing the death of our kin with the "death is preferable to slavery" argument. I do not feel I should be making that choice for those unfree people and for their clans and tribes.

Instead I choose to justify causing their death by my opposition of the Amarr and their evil. By the right of our kin to make their choices themselves.

The fact of the matter is the Amarr are using the lives of our kin as shields. And the Amarr will keep doing more of it as long as they follow their evil religion.

On the needs of free and unfree Matari

There is often discussion about how one should prioritize the rights and needs of different groups of Matari - free and unfree. So far, I have chosen for to work mainly for the Republic, for the free Matari.

I do wish to free our kin in captivity. But I also want to protect the lives and freedom of our kin who are already free. If a captive Matari dies, we have lost one of our kin. If a free Matari dies, we have also lost one of our kin.

And the free Matari need to be strong and prosperous to be able to free the captive Matari.

On hating Amarr

My kin have much reason to dislike Amarr, and many do.

Yet, I feel to become strong our people need to see beyond hate and punishment, and not make it part of who we are.

We need to build identity and life of our own, not clutch our hate of Amarr and slavery close to our chest. I understand letting go cannot be easy and will take time, as many of us are former property.

However, I also feel that as long as we cling to that hate as a basic principle of life, we are giving Amarr power over us by seeing ourselves as their former slaves. That is not who we are.

We are a people of our own. A free people.

Back from vacation

Vacation was very good. I enjoyed GW.

Getting back and having a real bath, eating real food, sleeping in a real bed is also very good.

Paths, adjacent and apart

In life, we all have our own paths to walk.

Sometimes our path runs adjacent to paths of other people for a time. And sometimes they split apart, no matter how much we'd wish otherwise.

Voluval anniversaries and birthdays

In my clan, Voluvals are traditionally held in late summer. Afterwards, there is a big party that doubles as Voluval anniversary celebration for everybody.

Birthdays are remembered also, but are more of a "friends" thing than something one marks with kin.

25

My 25th birthday was yesterday. Already.