by Aldus Marius on Sat Jul 23, 2005 4:44 am
Salvete amici,
I chimed in this morning--Sic Uti Rogas. (And my thanks to the Sodalis who translated that phrase; I like the meaning of it.)
Our current Regula is more reflective of our origins than it is of our current direction and status. It looks OP-ish for two reasons: because when it was written everyone was still obsessing about the OP, from which we'd just escaped with our hides intact; and because the OP's was the only other neo-Roman constitution we knew. Hence many features got copied over because NovaRoma had them; other features were, paradoxically, designed to ward off any OPishness that our new Roman Entity might be in danger of developing.
We do not live under the shadow of NovaRoma any longer. We've grown our own habits, healthy ones, and we're not likely to give them up for anybody. I think we are strong enough to look NovaRoma in the face and say "We're different from you and we like it." I think we are even strong enough to say to them, "And you know what...? --I think working together on the next Roman Market Days (or other event) is a splendid idea."
There is a small element in the SVR Senate that does not agree, that believes that any contact with the OP or anyone in it must inevitably lead to our brainwashing, corruption and downfall. It is the obduracy of that element that has made a 'crisis' out of a normal discussion, and that has brought us to this pass. I do not like being told by any third party (however well-intentioned) what I can and cannot handle, or what is good for my soul.
The Regula we have now has gotten us this far. It is not all-over flawed. But in the four years since it was assembled, we have taken on a definite personality as a group; we have become more certain of what it is we want here, and of what the Societas is for. I would like to see a Charter free of fear, free of OP obsessions, one that actually describes what we have become as of mid-Quinctilis in the 2758th Year of the City.
In fide,
Aldus Marius Peregrinus.