By Annonymous Citizen

I don't think of Aerica as being one of the most succesful micronations. I don't think of it as being one of the most powerful, or influential. Some micronationlists have said that they do, and ohers have made it clear that they don't and never will. The fact is, I don't think of any micronation in terms of power or influence. I think of them as people and places with ideas and dreams, each unique, and most worthwhile. I am proud of it as it is.

I can't really tell you the steps we took to get successful beyond one word: Chutzpah. It's an old Yiddish word with no real translation. Essentially, we drew attention quickly. One of the first contacts we ever had with any nations was when the first head of the foreign office, Davre Rath, inadvertently offended half of micronationalism. He gained much popularity by stepping down and Tristan Glark entered the position with people thinking he would have to be an improvement. Then, of course, we were different. We were the first to claim legal off planet holdings and have evidence to back it up, even though many still don't believe us. That made us the center of attention for a little while at least.

The next step was allies. Nations like Cherusken and Baja helped us gain early recognition, and elevated us from the level of bug nations. Those first recognitions helped us make other contacts, and still others.

Thirdly, we had a concrete principle for others to see, not an abstract philosophy. We believed in silliness in all things, but at the same time conducted ourselves with dignity and seriousness. People began to appreciate that we were silly but took micronationalism seriously, if that makes sense.

Lastly, we made it very clear that we weren't going away, no matter what they did. We had to exist for over a year before we really got going, because that showed we were serious about this. When Reunion classified us as a bug nation, we pestered them over the course of a year and two Chancellors, never letting up until we felt we had been listed in an honorable position, taking our complaints first to the chancellors and eventually the Holy Emperor himself.

It took us two tries to get into LoSS, and again we never gave up. Even though most thought we were fools, we took things one step at a time, establishing our credentials and ideas. Before we ran again, we contacted individual delegates to find out how they would vote. We put forth our ballot again only when we knew we could win.

The most important lessons I can give you, then, are these: have patience for your plans, for they may extend into years, and never give up, whether one hundred thousand people say you're right or just one.

We Are Here. We have always been here, and we will always be here. Nations come and go, but the Empire remains. And years from now, when all those who mocked us are gone, we will still be here. In Nominae Forsteri


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