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                        WHY ARE WE HERE?
                  Special to the e-mail WHOOSH!
                      By BRET RYAN RUDNICK 
                 (brudnick@ivanova.harvard.edu)
                  Copyright 1997 held by author
                            517 words
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Disregarding the larger cosmological implications of
the question, let us narrow the scope and instead ask
"Why are we at WHOOSH! here?"

We are all of us here for differing reasons.

For some, it is a calling, like a siren's song (better
sirens than those ULYSSES ones) luring us to create, to
participate, to help/assist, to disseminate. For some
it is a sense of purpose, a "show must go on"
mentality. For others, it is a sense of "virtual
family", knowing you are working with a group of people
hundreds or thousands of miles apart, on a product that
is seen and read by tens of thousands of people around
the world.

But for any of these reasons or combinations thereof,
we are all drawn together by a common thread:  XENA:
WARRIOR PRINCESS.

Whether we like Xena or Gabrielle best, whether we are
pro-subtext, anti-subtext, or don't-care-subtext,
whether we like or detest Joxer, whether we like or
dislike the comedy episodes, the dramatic episodes, a
certain writer, director, or editor, the fact is, we
watch the show. We like the show. We look forward to
the show.

For me, this defines more than anything else a "mission
statement" for WHOOSH!

We strive to inform and entertain, but not spread
rumours nor villify. We tell without preaching, we
laugh but not at the expense of someone else, we worry
but do not presume to know better.

In all things WHOOSH! we all want to do our best. We
want to create a magazine others will enjoy,
appreciate, read, and discuss. We want the Xenaverse to
be better for our existence, rather than worse. Even at
times when we have conflicting views about particular
items or what the above words exactly mean, we continue
to "be nice" and work it out, driven as we all our by
our desire to do what we believe is the right thing.  
Nowhere else have I ever seen such flexibility work so
well.

Balance, good humour, information, considered opinion. 
All these things have been a hallmark of WHOOSH! from
the start and should continue to be so.

As we grow in readership (and staff), we grow  in the
magnification of our responsibility. By remaining true
to ourselves and to our "mission", we will continue to
be successful, as viewed from the outside world and as
viewed by ourselves. It isn't realistic to say "don't
ever change" in a world where change happens whether or
not we want it to. But as we grow we can mature, as
opposed to merely expand. By continuing to remember
what it is that drew us all here in the first place,
and relying on each other as we have up to now (and, I
am sure, beyond) we will draw the strength and vision
for us to continue.

WHOOSH! is what it is because of who we all are.  

All of us.  

And so I hope it always is.