Great Consensus

The **Great Consensus** is a code of conduct agreed upon by nearly all countries on Jerde as the basis for their socities' norms. Its full name is the **Great Consensus of Jerde**. Many of its rules were derived from Denlotian laws, although it was last updated during the times of the Kingdom of Zvesta before Wannaenid conquest.

Every year, representatives of leaders from all over the world meet somewhere where they pledge on behalf of their countries to follow the Great Consensus, for the well-being of all denizens of the planet.

## Society

### National preservation and cooperation

* It is recommended that every nation must preserve their national culture and majority. That does not give them the right to be racist or bigoted.

### Treatment of refugees

* If you must accommodate refugees, but you might find the refugees to be more incompatible against your society, it is recommended to deradicalise and naturalise them to your society, and build a new settlement for them to start a new life. This is to eliminate criminal or militant elements within the refugees.
* Naturalising refugees means that you teach them how to live as good citizens of your country, and to respect its culture and people. In turn, your people should learn how to work together with them, just as they are learning to cooperate with your people.
* Make sure that you provide them a business for them to build up your country, preferrably a job that they like more, so they will be loyal subjects to you and your people.
* Do not make your refugee settlements into impoverished ghettos. Poverty is the mother of crime and destructive behaviour.
* Do not enslave refugees, or you will become like the tyrants.
* Ensure they enjoy the same benefits as your citizens do, to make them more loyal to your country.

### Infrastructure

* Public transport is strongly recommended. Every venue must have at least one bus station and three taxi stops, which becomes a minimum of two bus stations and four taxi stops if the venue is large enough.
* There should always be walkways and/or tunnels between residential areas and other spaces, so it becomes easier for pedestrians to walk to and from work and leisure.
* After 10pm at night, all private taxis and employees may chose to rest if they want, but they get an overtime bonus if they choose to continue working for their dedicated service to the people.
* That is when the "late cabs" come, taxis driven by government employees or robots who may pick up stranded people and late night owls for very low prices. The last late cabs will return to their stations after 8am, when private taxi-drivers are more likely to begin their work for the day.
* Whenever there is a large queue, portals are to be set up to allow passengers and pedestrians to bypass the queue without going around, saving time.
* Imposing any cost to cross the queue via portal is a criminal offense, even if it is just one cent. All queue-crossing portals must be free of charge due to the extremely short distance, making any fee absolutely unnecessary.

### Jobs

* Every public space must have at least one (or two in some countries) board for available jobs, so people do not need to walk around to find a job. Businesses can still put up signs to show available jobs.

### Internet

* It is a criminal offense, "harm against society", for any public space to provide poor Internet access for any reason, even if it is an accident. One punishment for managers of public spaces for such incidents is getting a beating from a mob of angry customers.

## Citizens' rights

### Women's rights

* Women are to be given the same rights as men, for people could be born either as males or females. They should be allowed to:
	+ travel by themselves
	+ choose to be single and/or childless if they want
	+ choose any career they want
	+ control their own finances
	+ choose anywhere to live, even away from their families if they wish
	+ be leaders and managers, without necessarily requiring motherhood
	+ vote like other citizens
	+ (Some careers are not recommended for women or men, but not necessarily forbidden)
* Abortion is not to be encouraged, but if a woman still insists, she should receive such treatment. It is an emergency that could threaten her life if left untreated.
	+ Alternatively, if the woman wants, she can donate the embryo or foetus to the government. The womb will be surgically opened, and an ooze will be wrapped around the embryo or foetus. Its cord is cut and reattached into the ooze's nutrients, and then the embryo or foetus is gently placed in an artificial womb. With the natural womb removed, the woman still lives.
	+ Nowadays, this is more common on Jerde than abortion, although the latter is still considered acceptable.
	+ Once the embryo or foetus is fully-developed, the resulting child will be raised in an orphanage. Due to the Jerdiskar cultural dislike of poverty, there are many parents who would like to adopt orphans.
	+ The reason why abortion (known locally as "termination") is considered acceptable on Jerde is due to a religious belief that doing so allows the embryo's/foetus' soul to leave a sick body, and immediately enter into a healthier body to be born. It is, therefore, seen as a favour for the embryo's/foetus' soul to avoid being born into misery by transferring it to a healthier womb.
	+ It is considered an "emergency" to discourage people from behaving like some Terrans, who simply produced embryos to be aborted for fun and displayed like hunting trophies. It is not to be treated as something "fun" or "joyful", but like an amputation or removing a tumour - uncomfortable, but necessary. To treat abortion as something "fun" is considered in Jerdiskar society as celebrating a tumour or a car accident, offending them by making an emergency look more disgusting.

### Men's rights

* Shelters are to be established for all male victims of abuse. This is not making them cowards - on the other hand, with proper councilling, you help victims become stronger and braver.

### Thirds' rights

* People who are neither male nor female are given special recognition, on the basis of religious grounds. In some religions, people are not considered male or female as these tend to be priests to the Gods.

## Politics

* Gerontocracy is a sin, because it encourages corruption and regressive attitudes, especially if the leaders have a lot of money.
* Therefore, politicians must resign if they are 50 or 60 years' old, or (if their lifespans are extended) they show any sign of old age. All politicians can only serve for two terms.
* In some countries, people who show any sign of old age will automatically lose the right to vote.
* Monarchs are usually exempt from the ban on elderly people in politics.

## Religion

* Polytheism shall be the natural state for all nations. Many polytheist religions reflect and sustain the cultures of Jerde's people, so they are to be preferred over monotheism.
	+ This has also influenced the practice of Hinduism and Buddhism on Jerde.
* Some monotheist religions, like Mazdajasna and the native religions in some Rifandian nations, are tolerated for the same reason as their widespread polytheist counterparts.
* You may say that "it is wrong for me to worship other gods", but it is very wrong to say "this god is stupid" or "this god is made by stupid people", if the god is from another real culture.
	+ One infamous example was a Sandharmist diplomat who commented that Odin (a god worshipped by a Norse ally) was "created by stupid barbarians", and "is a little copy of the real, infinite Lord of All". This led to a diplomatic row between Dashadesha and its Norse allies that led to the diplomat being sentenced to pay a fine. Even other Sandharmins condemned the arrogant diplomat for his disrespectful attitude breaking the Dharma.

## War

* Collateral damage is never to be encouraged. That is a concept more associated with the Terrans and their sadistic cruelty.
* During a war, never claim that you are "fighting for peace". In most cases, everyone who said those during war still committed more war crimes, so by saying those words, you make yourself into a liar and an enemy of humanity.
	+ If you really are "fighting to establish peace", do not mention it. Let your actions prove your goals by being fair to the survivors and the innocent.
* Calling for someone to be killed for blasphemy is an act of war against society. The perpetrator, usually a religious extremist, instantly becomes a Terran and an enemy of the world, even if they are protecting any of Jerde's Gods.

### Actions considered as "acts of war"

* Calling for someone to be killed for blasphemy
* Committing fraud
* Destroying a temple, a school, a hospital, or a public transport system that is not spoiled
* Praising the destruction of idols or temples (if they belong to a Jerdiskar religion)
* Forcible conversion (even to a Jerdiskar religion)
* Demanding a nation to be displaced by a new majority
* Demanding the rule of another empire (like supporting a country to become a colony of Terra)
* Hatred of the majority
* Hypernationalism

## Anti-scammer measures

* **SCAMMING IS PUNISHABLE BY DEATH**.
	+ This is a measure to ensure that scamming will never again be accepted by any society on Jerde, no matter how hungry or poor they are.
	+ Many Jerdiskar fear that if a scammer is ever allowed to live, more scammers will emerge to destroy society. That is why they believe that they must murder a scammer every time they see one.
* Committing fraud is an act of war against the nation.
* Kill only the scammer and his associates, but not his family, his people, or anyone tricked into working for him. If possible, help them find him and kill him!
* Even if the scammer is from your race or family, you are legally obliged to make sure he dies a cruel death. If you cannot kill him due to certain laws (such as you cannot kill your own parents), you may turn him over to the authorities or the people, so they will put him to death instead of you. But you will be rewarded for turning a scammer over.
* A nation that is suspected of accepting the practice of scamming will risk the entire world declaring war on it, and sending armies to punish it.
	+ This begins through sanctions against politicians and rich people who encourage scamming - even indirectly, by depriving their national economy through corruption and wasteful luxuries. It is preferrably done after reports and complaints from people within the criminals' country.
* It is legal to murder scammers, rapists, child abusers, and people who commit the most depraved of crimes.
* If possible, arrest the scammer and force him to tell you everything about his operations and especially his background.
* Whenever a criminal's arrest is reported in the news, you are legally required to tell about any possible motives and the criminal's background. This is not to encourage mob violence against the criminal's people, but to instruct viewers (including the criminal's people too) on how to avoid the criminal's actions, and how to improve society to avoid turning people into that criminal.
	+ If possible, the report shall be translated into the criminal's own language, and broadcast to the criminal home country as a lesson.

## In the Collectionverse

The "Great Consensus" are the norms (not necessarily laws) of the post-Indigo Revolution United States of America. Many of these norms are influenced by progressive and socialist morality, intending to create a society that uplifts the marginalised, hurt, poor, and disadvantaged to greatness while building a sustainable and comfortable society.

It is obviously opposed by extremists from the far-right and the far-left. The right-wingers see the Great Consensus as hateful against the rich and traditionalists, while the far-left hate the GC as keeping the American system instead of totally replacing it with a communist government or an anarchist commune.

## Trivia

* Many of the collectivist norms of the Great Consensus of Jerde were influenced by various inconveniences that the author experienced throughout his life, especially those that angered him with little to no improvement (such as bad Internet connections, very few e-hailing drivers, and the existence of online fraudsters).

## See also

* Denlotian glossary
* Jerde glossary