EBC's A Little Legalese: 113 Days
Musings of a Freshman Senator
Written by Trinnien
36 days.
That's how long I had been a Citizen of Europeia when I was elected to the Senate in a special by-election due to Zapper resigning his Senate seat. I earned more votes than all of my competition combined, earning 60% of the vote overall. That, after only 36 days. I can not properly state how I felt; how overwhelmed, surprised, happy, excited, scared, nervous, and petrified of what was to come. In a few days time when the term ends, 113 days will have passed since I became a Senator. In that time I have continued my journey of becoming an active participant in Europeia, becoming Minister of Communication, and now, Minister of Foreign Affairs. 113 days of discussion, debate, listening, not listening, laughing, getting frustrated, and asking "Why is that, this?" As that freshman term comes to a close, I think it's important to share what I've learned and experienced to help guide other newer voices that want to become more active in Europeia.
Words Of Advice
Learn to listen.
I can not state the importance of this, for every aspect of your life. Listen to your opposition. Listen to advice given by others, even if you don't particularly care to hear it. Listen when others are chatting casually about their frustrations. Listen to your friends. Listen to your gut. Listen even when you disagree or you know that they're wrong. You listen in order to learn, to be able to respond in the appropriate way to the situation. You listen because it may give you insight in how to tackle a problem. You are not all-knowing. So learning to listen, is an important part of developing your knowledge and your skills.
Learn to love knowledge.
When running for Senate in that first election, I spent hours going reading through the various laws, reading and re-reading the Constitution, and going through the most recent Senate legislative discussions. I wanted to know the heart of what we would be discussing. I would pester people on Skype with questions on "How long as this been like this in Euro?" or "Can you explain to me why we do it this way, and not this way?". Every moment is a teachable one, filled with new understandings and insight. Even now, I still peruse threads, and archived forums, and past opinions, and historical events, because I want to understand "why is that, like this?". Give into that need to learn, to understand. It will take you far.
Don't be afraid.
It's so easy to get that knot in your stomach filled with worry and stress. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to admit you don't know, and I can't stress that one enough, do not be afraid to admit that you don't know. Don't be afraid that someone, or more, may not like you. Don't be afraid that you won't agree with a veteran citizen. Don't be afraid that people may not re-elect you. Show that you're trying. Show that you're willing to learn. Show that you're willing to not back down. Show that it's not the end of your world, if people don't elect you. If you can't get over being afraid, let that fear push you & motivate you to do more, to be better. Being afraid can be strong motivation, but it's also important you don't let it hold you back.
You don't need to know legalese.
Seriously, it's okay if you don't excel in legal speak. Use a template for the structure, that's perfectly reasonable. But if you're writing a proposal and think you HAVE to use big fancy words, or a certain prose, or who knows what, STOP! Write it plain and keep it simple. Have what you mean, mean what you say. Your fellow Senators are there to assist you, they'll tidy it up along with you. That's what drafting is for, and PLEASE use the Preliminary Discussion sub-forum. Do not go to the Senate floor itself with just an idea of a proposal. Take the time, flesh it out, and get input. But don't try to use words that you don't know the meaning of, that's just stupidity.
Be active.
If you're thinking of running for office, whether that's Senate or for President, I want you to take a moment, open up a calendar and look at the next three months. Think seriously about it for a minute: Are you going to be gone, or on low activity for some of that time frame? Did you just get a new job? Are you really wanting to get back out into the dating world? Did you just find an awesome new show on Netflix you want to binge watch? Do you have difficult classes? Being a Senator or President is not something to do on a whim or because you want a fancy title. It does take time. It does take work. Sometimes, it can even be hard or stressful work. If you can't honestly say that you can be an active participant, please, don't run. Don't do that to yourself, and don't do it to Europeia. We'll respect you more for being honest on your availability. And if something DOES come up, please take a moment and just let us know, thirty seconds of posting that you'll be gone is better than days of people wondering where you are.
It's okay to be wrong.
You do not have to be right in all things, or side with the majority all of the time, or even agree with Malashaan as near-perfect as he may be. It's also okay if your ideas get tossed aside as unworkable. It's okay if no one agrees with you. It's okay to mess up. However, it is important that you are a gracious in defeat. That you can accept criticism without getting hostile. That if you are in the wrong, to admit it and move on. I'll also state that it can be helpful if you have someone or somewhere (like a journal) to vent to. You will have moments of frustration. It's knowing how to not let that affect you interact/respond that matters.
Read the Senate Protocol Act
The first term I served, the Senate failed to follow procedure very well. We would have votes called on items that shouldn't be voted on yet. Readings would be skipped over. Legislative proposals would get reworded and then would not be presented for proper debate. Thankfully, this was not an issue in the most recent term, but still. Learn to avoid this by getting familiar with your handy-dandy guidebook to being a Senator - the Protocol Act. If you're not sure where the Senate should be on something, use it as a guide. And feel free to ask the Speaker, that's their job to keep things on track.
Mostly though, I know people like to use me as an example of: "Look a newcomer CAN be elected to the Senate and be a valued participant." And it's not that I disagree per se, but it's really, really important that newcomers understand that it didn't just fall into my lap. I read, I listen, I chat, I ask questions. I took the time to write a pretty decent platform and I answered every question posed to me usually in a pretty substantive way. I was elected, because I worked to get elected. So yes, newcomer, you too can be a valued asset to Europeia. But you do have to earn it. But, maybe, just maybe, I can help give you a few tidbits of advice in the meantime. May that advice serve you well if you're elected. May it serve as a guidepost for you even if you're not. May it let you take a moment and offer your own advice to others. We all live and grow together. Thank you again, Europeia, from the bottom of my heart. I look forward to our future. With that, I leave you with a song by Tom Petty....
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5BJXwNeKsQ[/video]
While I was writing this post you surreptitiously removed the italic.
