I understand, you might be a bit overwhelmed by how wonderful Ardent is. Perhaps you need help finding your way? Well then, allow me to be your guide. This article will shed some light on some of the questions I get asked often, what all of the departments mean, and what the heck all of this is. Please, read on.

 

I mean that.

 

 

 

     When I talk to people about Ardent, I feel that I come off as a bit strange about it. I never really know how to describe it. I'll give this my best shot here.

     The Kingdom of Ardent is a country, a micronation to those of you who can't be without proper terminology. We're a pretty small country, but a country nonetheless with a decent number of patriotic citizens devoted to its survival. Ardent stands out in a world that wants you to blend in. Where there once was reasonless conformity, there now stands an organization that understands you for who you are. Ardent is not a "cult" by any stretch of the imagination. Ardent is a community of people gathered under a government, a flag, a king, and a shared feeling of worth within our self-established nation. From the ground up we build ourselves and we shape the world around us. We refuse to be held down by what the rest of the world says, and in an attempt to escape the submission to pop-culture that so many fall victim to, we established our own world within which we can exercise our imaginations and our creative resources to their full extent. If one finds interest in something, much unlike other countries, Ardent will encourage you to act upon this interest and do something wonderful in the name of our great nation. Personal skill doesn't matter, it is patriotism and persistence we are after. Each and every person all across the world is invited to join in the fun and become citizens of a country that truly stands for progress. Citizenship is easy, there's a link on the top of our website that will take you to the registration form. What are you waiting for?!

     On a note that may be more easy to understand to those without a degree in romantic poetry, The Kingdom of Ardent is a country of sorts that believes that it really ought to be recognized by the rest of the world. The citizens in Ardent have varying interests, all of which are encouraged to be acted upon. The King (King Kevin I) asks all citizens to do whatever they can to better the nation - he's not the only one living here you know! More information can be found by reading various articles on this website, or perhaps reading The Constitution of Ardent.

 

 

     First of all, get rid of those quotation marks. We are a very serious country.

 

     On a more serious note, Ardent started in a really interesting way actually. In August 2008 I (King Kevin I) was simply hanging around with my friends while on vacation in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the opening ceremonies for the 2008 Beijing Olympics were on the TV and I noticed a great deal of tiny countries that were sending in athletes. One after another, these countries of seriously modest size (some of 30,000 to 50,000) marched out onto the stage, so proud to be recognized by a world that shuns them as if they were unimportant.

     If you know me personally, you might label me as a bit of an oddball. A loon, an eccentric, or (hopefully) a visionary. Hopefully you don't see me as someone not to be bothered with when at a party, as you might slip into a strange conversation about how Luxembourg ought to be better recognized due to its great advancements in the nationalization of broadcast radio or perhaps how it would be a grand idea for the both of us to go outside and build a machine that spurts magnetic LEDs into traffic in attempts to stick Christmas lights to cars. (Now that I think of that, this may be a fantastic idea - see "throwies") No matter the case, while I watched this video of people marching onto the stage, I thought "why can't I do that?"  I then began formulating ideas as to what I would do to start my own country.

      After a few weeks of debating country names, government forms, flag designs, and constitutional things with myself, I finally managed to scrape together something I could loosely call "Ardent." I didn't have much more than myself, a couple of friends, a flag, and a website. (I'm not going to say "... and a dream!") I then began my quest to find citizens. I begged friends, I begged people I didn't know, I begged teachers, I begged lukewarm acquaintances, let's just say I begged everyone. At the point of writing this, I have 150 citizens, a number I am seriously proud of.

As I continue to work, my country expands, and the true purpose of this project reveals itself. I didn't just want to claim I had a country, I wanted an outlet where I knew my work would be accepted. I wanted to be able to do all sorts of cultural oddities that had previously been rejected by modern culture. I wanted to DO something with my time. My citizens follow tend to follow this ideology as they suddenly come upon my country not only finding a clever community, but an accepting outlet of creativity.

 

 

     This is a question I suck at answering. To tell you honestly, I didn't begin with a goal. I create new goals as I go along. As it stands right now (8:25 PM EST on October 21, 2008), I have a few goals actually.

     Outside of these four things, I am very open to suggestions. Please, do not hesitate to e-mail me with ideas. I might very well be interested in giving you a government job doing something cool for the country.

 

 

     As a King, it helps for me to have a quick set of buzzwords. This is one of those. (I guess it's a buzzphrase isn't it?) Of course, that's not to say that this doesn't describe our great amount of opportunity here, but I'm just saying...

 

     "Throwaway joke" aside, I'd like to give legitimacy to this claim. Ardent is a small country. I am currently the only person in the government and I find it difficult to run everything while still doing cool projects for the good of the nation. Ardent allows people with creative ideas do become popular. We are a closely knit group of people, and if you do something great for the country, we will make sure it is known. 

     Think of it this way, if you have an interest in rocketry and you make a rocket with a camera in it with an Ardentic flag on the side, then e-mail it to me. You could very well be starting the first Ardentic Space Mission! If you have an interest in crafty things like screen printing, show off your talents! You may very well become a national producer of Ardentic merchandise! Do you love making videos? Join the Ardent Broadcasting Network! Do you love economics? Help me start the Department of Having Money! The possibilities are endless and are completely based upon your motivation and support! Be creative, help your country!

 

 

     In my Kingly wisdom, I divided the site into easily navigable sections. The bar on the left side of the page links you to each of the different departments here. Explanations to follow!

 

     - As King, I have a lot to say. This is my office and a lot of the things I want to talk about will show up here. These articles don't really deserve being placed in a department, but really ought to be read.

 

     - This is a branch of our Ardentic government. Please read the constitution if you want to know more.

 

     - Patriotism is important to our country. Please print flags, put them places, start embassies, recruit new citizens, and do whatever else it is you folks like to do - but in the name of Ardent!

 

     - We don't own all the land in the world. Other countries like having land too. This department deals with the whole dispute over who owns what land. Foreign policy too.

 

     - Money is important for a country to have. This is our economic department. Yeah, no jokes here.

 

     - Much like a national library, the Department of Important Documents contains all important laws and documents (including the constitution) that spring from the efforts of Ardent's citizens.

 

     - This is pretty much a message board. Citizens of Ardent are encouraged to communicate with each other here. It's a great time really.

 

     - No better TV and Radio than Ardentic TV and Radio! Am I right or am I right?

 

     - A highly accredited University for Ardenters only! We can't promise you that your degree will be accepted in many countries outside of Ardent, but it's certainly prestigious here.

 

 

There you have it. Lots of great information about our country right off the bat. So, perhaps you'd like to become a citizen, yes?