This dogma shall guide you in your education – it shall be the credo of the rulers. It is the core of the Rhielian identity, strengthens the traditional cohesion of the Western Zerer under one banner and serves the declared goal of our sovereignty and stability. However, we must never forget that this dogma, which presupposes strength for absolute balance in action, is a construct far removed from reality. Even if a leader achieves this quality, he, like this entire philosophy itself, is subject to erosion over time. Either this credo, and with it our society, continues to develop, or it comes to a standstill, disintegrates and loses its meaning – falls back, in the worst case under the yoke of the hegemony of the East.

All our actions have consequences. Every action forces a reaction. Every reaction is an action, because doing nothing is a course of action – it can be part of a strategy. Whatever action those in power decide to take: Their decisions must be of a strategic nature, whereby strategies are based on tactics and methods that may conflict with the values and needs of the time, but should not do so if possible. However, the structure of causalities determines this. The brute reality that results from them, the mastering of which requires consistent, often difficult decisions. Therefore, a government that is absolutely faithful to our ideals is an illusion.

Given our recent history, Rhiel will have a long-lasting and pronounced need for security. However, you don’t secure stability and sovereignty with paper alone. It is the iron that follows if a treaty has been violated. It is the promise of force and the possibility of averting it that gives diplomacy its integrity and therefore outweighs other methods both morally and economically. Nevertheless, and this brings us full circle, my students have recognized that force is sublime when in doubt, that our ability to act is also security. This explains the importance of strength for our people and its role in our society.

But our society consists of far more than just the military. It also consists of craftsmen, scholars, farmers and the nobility. Merchants and the bourgeoisie, who are particularly at home in the capital and will play a decisive role in the future of our state. For I am certain that relations with Tycos will soon normalize and trade will flourish again. Even though I have articulated a difference between these groups; even though the dogma only applies to the duelist caste for the moment, I would all the more urge you to broaden your horizons.

We need the strength to be disciplined so that our actions become routine and efficient.

So that a good result can be achieved in everyday life and work, whether by farmers or aristocrats, craftsmen or academics. Because everyone contributes to the functioning of the social construct, assumes responsibility and enables give and take. This enables harmony, provided that everything is subject to balance and fairness, and thus guarantees peace and prosperity.

Discipline works best when combined with passion, although it also takes some strength to master it.

So that the free choice of social action is guaranteed according to aptitude and preference, so that our tasks find their solution. So that these are tackled gladly and therefore well. So that necessary duties for the preservation of society – even if they conflict with passion – are accepted. Because only under the premise of a freedom that is compatible with the duties of society can the debate about social ambitions be purposeful. And only if we have a strong backbone to accept other positions can compromises be found and our peace with actors beyond the borders of the West be maintained – which ultimately rules out interventions outside our sphere of influence.

Perseverance: It is the key to balance, which must be the foundation of all decisions.

So that there are objective judgments in accordance with laws and rules – an independent judiciary. It takes a tremendous amount of strength not to fall into barbarism, but instead to deal with even the worst with dignity. Accordingly, we support the call for a global judicial triumvirate. But decisions in everyday life, work and life should also be made on the basis of sound reasoning – always in the spirit of fairness and harmony.

Lastly and most importantly: a sense of duty coupled with fidelity and loyalty. These are the premises of the option to act. They must always serve the well-being of the people and the preservation of our values – to serve the empire.

Loyalty to the state means loyalty to the people. It also means loyalty to every member of our society. It is the promise to justify one’s own actions and products to the best of one’s knowledge and conscience before the community and to achieve more together instead of working against each other. No one should work against their neighbor or against the state construct that supports us all; instead, we should all contribute constructively to the construct. Duty demands this, as does loyalty – values that must be upheld in accordance with our tradition, which must always be open to the structures of the times.