In wishing you all ‘good evening’ I feel that I am speaking to close friends and family. Such is the role as Head of State – family with all of you.
As you might know I have dedicated what power I might have to make our nation a more open minded nation. A nation where gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual preferences do not matter. Instead I want to believe that what truly matters is our humanity and compassion. I am very pleased that my government and the Minister-President share my views in this matter.
However, I am not pleased with what I hear and see among some of my subjects and among many of our Swedish neighbors. Fear of the unknown has given birth to hatred and misunderstandings. I am, as you know, an educated historian and it fills my heart with sorrow to see patterns from dark times repeat themselves in our time. We have lost the capability of critical thinking, the capability of empathy and perhaps even the capability of loving.
The Archduchy of Mimas is a secular state. But the Archducal office remains Lutheran as it has always been. And even if our nation is a secular one I believe we can learn many things from religion. Religion is living history, and history is the most vital knowledge in the making of a better future. So let us not forget our history. Let us not be the ones who stand quietly watching as our society sink into oblivion. We are the ones who have to carry the legacy of those who came before us. Let us give our children and they who will come after us a legacy worth having.
Be more critical when you gather information, be more open to the unknown, be the explorer and the one who carries hope. This is my request to all of you. It is not an easy one, but I believe it is doable.
In order to honor those who stand up for humanity and compassion, I have created the St. Thora Prize and the St. Thora Order.
The Prize is handed out once a year, and is awarded to people inside or outside the mirconational community who has been a force of humanism and understanding. The St. Thora Order will be awarded to Heads of States and Mimasian citizens who work towards a better future in line with the ideas of humanism and compassion. I will invite other micronations to the Order and together we will make a change on our scale.
And so I wish you all a good evening and enjoy the your food. Thank you.
His Royal Highness Archduke Christoph II of Mimas
The Archduchy of Mimas 