Europeian of the Year 2017 Nominee: HEM

Sopo

If specified, this will replace the title that dis
Honoured Citizen
Citizen
Pronouns
He/Him
Europeian of the Year 2017 Nominee: HEM

So much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.



In all the years since I first read this poem, I have never forgotten it nor truly understood why it has stuck with me for so long. William Carlos Williams paints an easy image of agrarian life that somehow inspires meditative longing.

It happened to pop into my head again as I was trying to figure out what in the world I could possibly say about HEM that hasn’t already been said ad nauseum. The red wheelbarrow is ever present and easy to take for granted, yet so essential. So much depends on HEM, and this year we’ve realized that in new and sometimes shocking ways.

Discovering that someone you trusted wasn’t who they said they were is not easy. Even less easy is having to prove that, investigating for a period of days, weeks, and months, asking probing questions, and challenging conventions to come to the truth. HEM has led the admin team through each of these investigations, from Morwenna to Brunhilde, risking potential backlash or even personal doxxing to protect our community. All of our admins deserve to be commended for their work, but the onus has always been on HEM to uphold our community standards.

Aside from his extraordinary work on the admin team, HEM has remained actively engaged in regional politics. He created and maintained the internship program as Vice President and as Minister, a program that now serves as a starting point for future innovation in how we integrate new citizens.

HEM maintains Europeia’s oldest and most distinguished private media outlet, the ENN, where he continues to publish thought-provoking pieces, satire, and polling.

Perhaps last in relevance to this nomination but of great importance to me is our personal friendship. HEM is one of my oldest friends in this game and has undoubtedly become the closest. He is a trustworthy confidant, a constant supporter, and, perhaps key to our continued friendship, a loser of drafts. He also takes jokes in stride.

HEM has led our region through trying experiences and, as a result, has made us stronger, more resilient, and safer than ever. So much depends on HEM. For that reason, I am proud to nominate him for Europeian of the Year, 2017.
 
More charitable than I deserve, but thank you.
 
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