Part 40 (2/2)

APPENDIX B.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS.

For more comprehensive definitions and background articles on some terms, consult the Web site at pa.s.s. The atmosphere soon became ripe for a return to spirituality.

The cryptic hermit known only as the Bodhisattva fil ed that gap. He began wandering through Europe and Asia gathering fol owers in the early 100s, much as the Three Jesuses had done throughout the previous century. But the philosophy he preached about the search for Objective Truth was nonviolent, nonjudgmental, and extremely personal in nature. He al owed an administrative organization to coalesce around him almost as an afterthought.

Other organizations quickly took up the model that the Bodhisattva had put in motion.

Some, like Creed Elan and Creed Dao, were old inst.i.tutions that simply found in creedism a convenient struc ture suitable for modern times; others took inspiration from the Bodhisattva and developed new philosophies that appealed to a wide body of fol owers.

ROLE OF THE CREEDS COALITION.

The Creeds Coalition was founded in 237 as a means of formalizing the interaction between the large (and stil growing) number of creed organizations. Most creeds partic.i.p.ate in and fund the operations of the Coalition voluntarily. There are a number of creeds who have refused to join the Coalition and are thus not bound by its rules and regulations. But even those creeds that do not official y belong to the Coalition often recognize its authority because of its long history of good deeds.

The major functions of the Coalition are to keep interactions between the creeds civil and to act as a lobbying and advocacy group to the various government bodies. The Coalition also funds a number of minor creeds and engages in various philanthropic enterprises of its own.

To a lesser extent, the Coalition is a.s.signed the duty of enforcing certain creed bylaws (such as the Objectivv truth-tel ing oath and the Conscientious pledge of resource preservation). However, considering how fearful the Coalition is of favoritism, its oversight is little more than a formality.

Leaders.h.i.+p of the Creeds Coalition is an executive committee selected by al partic.i.p.ating members, with members.h.i.+p tending toward heavy representation by the major seven (listed below). Chairmans.h.i.+p of the executive committee is a two-year commitment and is currently being held by the bodhisattva of Creed Enlighten.

One important bylaw of the Coalition is that none of its members are al owed to formal y restrict devotees from pledging to multiple creed organizations. (In practice, however, some creeds do hold such restrictions.) MAJOR CREED ORGANIZATIONS While there are literal y tens of thousands of accredited creeds in the Coalition's rol s, the number with any significant amount of influence is relatively smal .

Creed Bus.h.i.+do (founding date unknown) was one of the products of the Autonomous Revolt. The creed was initial y a martial organization whose aims were to preserve j.a.panese culture and tradition during a time of great upheaval. As the Reawakening got into ful swing and the Creeds Coalition came into existence, the creed softened many of its stances and began incorporating the remnants of many other Eastern cultures into its rituals and traditions.

Creed Conscientious' (founded 322 YOR) goal is to conserve the world's computational resources. The creed is among the newest in the Coalition, and its members.h.i.+p is quite smal (around twelve thousand). But increasing concerns about computational resources in recent years have brought the creed an abundance of favorable press and a disproportionate influence on Data Sea policy.

Creed Dao (founding date unknown), like Creed Bus.h.i.+do, also carries the torch of many of the ancient Eastern religious cultures. Some have likened its philosophies of peace, tolerance, and introspection to the teachings of Daoism and Buddhism. The creed tends to be very insular (if not downright secretive) in its beliefs, however, and therefore its tenets are not wel understood by the population at large. The creed's color is bronze.

Creed Elan (founded as the Elan Society in 39), among the oldest and most venerable of the creeds, was original y known as one of the most generous and self-effacing. In recent decades, it has largely become the creed of the moneyed elite. And while the organization's critics delight in pointing out the hypocrisy of some of its members, Creed Elan stil devotes far more capital to philanthropic endeavors than any other creed. The creed has no single leader, but is run instead by a consortium of major and minor bodhisattvas. Its colors are red and purple.

Creed Objectivv (founded 108) promotes the search for ultimate truth in the universe. Its members take what is known as the Objective truth-tel ing oath, where they promise not to lie and to devote their lives to seeking truth. Founded by a mystical figure known only as the Bodhisattva-the first creed leader to take that t.i.tle-the organization continues to be run by a single leader. As of this writing, Objectivv members.h.i.+p runs in the low hundred mil ions. A good percentage of that number consists of ”a.s.sociate” members who are sympathetic to the creed's aims but do not pledge the truth-tel ing oath). The symbol of Creed Objectivv is a black-and-white swirl.

Creed Surina (founded 116) was founded by Prengal Surina and his companion Ladaru to honor Sheldon Surina's memory. The creed's official purpose is to promote ”spiritual discovery and mutual enlightenment through technology,” which most observers interpret as humanizing scientific progress. Some critics contend that such a goal might have been appropriate for the rampant Luddism of the early days of the Reawakening, but has lost its relevance. The creed has maintained a large members.h.i.+p (two bil ion) largely through the charisma (and money) of the Surinas. Creed Surina's colors are blue and green.

Creed Tha.s.sel (founded 268) began as a popular movement dedicated to the ”virtues of selfishness” and run by the extreme libertarian philosopher Kordez Tha.s.sel. The creed's rituals were believed to be dangerous and mystical for many years, until drudge reporting revealed the mystique as something of a hoax. The Tha.s.selians turned to a more conventional philosophy of hard-core individualism afterward, and the creed has been operating low-key ever since. Creed Tha.s.sel keeps its members.h.i.+p rol s private, but the drudges estimate its members.h.i.+p somewhere south of a mil ion. The symbol for Creed Tha.s.sel is three paral el vertical lines.

MINOR CREED ORGANIZATIONS.

Other creeds with significant members.h.i.+p rol s and some smal amount of public influence include Creed Autonomous, Creed Enlighten, Creed Libertas, Creed Sacrificial, and Creed Tzu.

APPENDIX E.

ON GOVERNMENT.

The whole of humanity has never agreed on a single form of government, but with the so-cal ed L-PRACG system of governance, it can be said that the race has largely agreed on a common framework for government.

THE L-PRACGS.

After the col apse of the ancient nation-states during the Big Divide, people turned to local y organized civic groups to provide the basic services of government. Often these ad hoc groups came together to solve a particular issue and ended up taking on matters of security, trade, and justice by default.

Basic principles varied wildly from culture to culture and place to place.

Eventual y, as civilization built itself back up from the ravages of the Autonomous Revolt, civic groups began to band together. Larger groups had greater col ective bargaining power and were able to specialize on certain aspects of governance. Thus was born the Local Political Representative a.s.sociation of Civic Groups, more col oquial y known as the L-PRACG (p.r.o.nounced ELL [crag).

In modern society, L-PRACGs are responsible for the day-to-day services of government, as wel as security, taxation, and regulation. Often LPRACGs are organized around a central tenet (such as governmentalism or libertarianism), culture (j.a.panese, West African, Texan) or geographical area (the Shenandoah and Harper L-PRACGs). Other L-PRACGs use formulas or free-market tenets to determine the blend of services they provide.

While some L-PRACGs are localized in one particular place, the vast majority are not.

Nothing prohibits citizens from joining more than one government at a time. (This freedom was in fact codified into law by the efforts of High Executive Toradicus in the year 145.) Most people today hold three or four simultaneous citizens.h.i.+ps and rotate to new governments every few years. Likewise, in a free-market system, L-PRACGs are constantly s.h.i.+fting their policies and priorities to attract new members for their tax base.

It's not uncommon to subscribe to a local L-PRACG for basic neighborhood services; a vocational L-PRACG to streamline one's work life; and a personal L-PRACG that practices the tenets of one's particular creed or culture.

THE CONGRESS OF L-PRACGS.

Founded in 143 through the tireless lobbying efforts of Prengal Surina and High Executive Toradicus, the Congress of L-PRACGs was intended to be an organization that could deal with the Prime Committee as an equal.

The Congress's main function has turned out to be the settling of interL-PRACG conflict.

Given that there are tens of thousands of L-PRACGs spread throughout human s.p.a.ce, the administrative aspects of coordinating laws and dealing with contradictions between them are formidable.

Most of the Congressional representatives are elected directly by L-PRACG citizens, but some representatives are stil appointed by L-PRACG management. As of this writing, there are over 2,200 representatives on the Congress, headed by a single speaker. Given its large members.h.i.+p, the Congress tends to be slow to make decisions and often professes opinions far outside the mainstream of public opinion. This in turn means that the Congress general y has a difficult time commanding the drudges' attention.

Since the ascendancy of Len Borda to the head of the Defense and Wel ness Council in 302, the Congress's power has been limited.

Governmentalists loyal to Borda control ed the speakers.h.i.+p and a slim majority of seats until very recently. In late 359, the governmentalist speaker was indicted in an embezzlement scandal and ousted in favor of radical libertarian Khann Frejohr. Boosted by this scandal, the libertarians recaptured the majority of Congressional seats as wel .

THE PRIME COMMITTEE.

The major governing body of the centralized government is the Prime Committee.

However, since so many of the traditional functions of government have become the province of the L-PRACGs, the Committee is largely a legislative body and an umbrel a organization to the various branches of centralized government.

The Prime Committee is divided into twenty-three voting and six nonvoting groups known as bailiwicks. Voting members of the Prime Committee include the bailiwicks of: Congress of L-PRACGs (12 members) Meme Cooperative (3) Creeds Coalition (2).

orbital colonies (2) Dr. Plugenpatch (1) GravCo (1).

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