NLC - Lifestyle

Lifestyle

The Northern Lights Confederacy has the highest standard of living on Terra Nova. Access to education is universal, medical technology is more accessible than in most other regions and poverty, while present, is not crushing. Institutionalized social programs, sponsored by the state and church, while widespread, are piecemeal because of the Norlight work ethic which demands that citizens solve their own problems. Independent charities and community programs, though, are established at the local level to deal with the problems of the underpriviledged in an efficient and compassionate manner.

The most important concept in Norlight life is the community. The idea of a true individual, with a life completely separate from family and community, is very alien to most Norlights. Although the emphasis on family is not as strong as in the clan-based WFP, people are expected to rely upon their neighbors for help and reciprocate. This life model can be traced to the mining and agrarian communities of the early days of colonization and is reinforced by the examples established by Mamoud and Nathani in Massada and Sorrento. In large urban centers, the focus on community is directed at individual neighborhoods rather than the city-state as a whole. Community watch programs, block parties and locally run ad-hoc social services (e.9. medical clinics or day-care facilities) are commonplace. Unfortunately, the focus on the neighborhood at the expense of the city-state often means that resources do not flow from rich areas to more disadvantaged ones. The wealthy take care of themselves and often allow inner-city areas to become crime-ridden and unsafe. In a final bout of irony, the wealthy will often blame the poor for this condition, thinking that they are ”not taking care of their own homes.”

Language

Standard Human Anglic , as codified many millenia ago, is by far the most widely-used language i n the NLC. Every legal text is in Anglic, and it is the base language of all but a few specialized educational facilities. It is the mother tongue of over 80% of the population. Though the standard Human Anglic is the one taught in schools, there are several regional variants and dialects that slightly change the syntax and (mostly) the vocabulary of the language. All are perfectly understandable by any Anglic speaker, though it will be easy to pinpoint the provenance of the person using them by his accent and vocabulary. With some rare exceptions, the written form of the language is consistent throughout the Norlight Confederacy.

The only major second languages are Indo-Arabic and Equatorial Hispanic. Indo-Arabic, which is the language of religion, is the dominant language in the Irrian Plain. Even there, everyone speaks Anglic. The official edition of the Khodaverdio is in Indo-Arabic, although sanctioned Anglic translations are very common. Consequently, most Revisionists have at least a halting familiarity with Indo-Arabic, although only clergy and more traditional Revisionists converse fluently in the language. Jerusalemite communities use a dialect of Indo-Arabic, which is closer to biblical Hebrew or Koranic Arabic. Equatorial Hispanic is spoken in the Westridge Range area, south of Lake Clearwater. This linguistic particularity reflects a cultural tie to the Great Western Plain, but the language has been slowly dying out over the last century. Currently, only people over the age of 50 cycles are likely to speak fluent Hispanic, although a linguistic revival movement is underway in several communities.

Education

Education in the NLC is compulsory between the ages of 7 and 20 cycles. Before the age of seven, most children are schooled by the family or with the help of locally-run day care and early education centers. From seven to fourteen, children attend lower school. In rural and urban areas, most of these schools are quite small, with classes of ten to fifteen children. These are run by the local community and are close to the homes of all the children. Young priests or peregrine monks sometimes teach at lower schools, a practice which is especially common in the Irrian region. Middle schools (ages 15 to 20) are significantly larger and prepare children for their life choices. These are more closely regulated by the state and students must often travel substantial distances to attend. Boarding schools are standard in rural areas where one middle school may serve several villages and homesteads, and many of the better urban schools follow this model as well.

Higher education is not mandatory in the NLC and rural families often expect their children to return to the farm and earn their keep once they complete middle school. There are many educational choices open to the middle school graduate, however. Professional schools are a popular choice, teaching trades and preparing the road to the job market; universities are also popular and concentrate on longer academic programs (typically seven cycles) which train people in highly specialized, academic or theoretical fields. Enlisting in the NAF or Northern Guard is a third popular option. The NAF in particular offers very attractive training programs and grants for university training for those who serve five or more cycles in uniform. Post-graduate diplomas are also offered by most universities, although students are encouraged to establish a non-academic life before pursuing another degree. University education is generally quite expensive, so most students must seek loan programs to attend, which makes military enrollment all the more appealing. There are a few corporation-sponsored programs for bright students, though they are expected to come to work for their sponsor once they have completed their studies.

Residence

The typical Norlight home reflects the extended family model and the large number of children per couple. The most basic unit is the rural farmhouse, a large dwelling built around a central courtyard. The ground floor of these homes contain all the common spaces, including a large kitchen, dining room, a storage room and a living room. The sleeping quarters are on the second floor, often with four master bedrooms that overlook the courtyard and housing the central members of the extended family. Children, grandparents and others use smaller rooms along the outside of the second floor. A square prayer room usually forms a small third story.

Urban housing is quite different, with apartment blocks rising to ten or more stories. Nuclear family dwellings, with separate kitchen and eating facilities, are the most common. Concessions to communal living are typical, however. Most apartment buildings have several communal spaces, including large rooms on the ground floor for casual meetings. Internal courtyards are often connected by arcades or alleys to form a maze-like back street network in some city-states.