Despite years of State of Origin indoctrination and all the bile spewed forth by Queensland supporters concerning residents of New South Wales, up until this afternoon I was a Sydney convert. When a discussion about the merits of Sydney arose I was quick to nominate as a speaker for the affirmative. The most common argument presented by the negative side is traffic congestion.
For the better part of five years my workplace has also been my home. When ashore in Sydney I call HMAS Watson home. Occupying the south head of the entrance to Sydney Harbour, HMAS Watson and the surrounding suburb of Watson's Bay is far above my station, so if not for the Navy's natural predilection for prime waterfront real estate I would not know Sydney's pleasures or be spared its pain.
This afternoon I had reason to climb down from the Ivory Tower that is HMAS Watson, join the unwashed masses and experience the pain of their daily commute.
An outdoor clothing retailer was holding a warehouse sale in the western suburb of Lidcombe. I still required a few items for the trip to South America so I set off straight after work. It took me 40 minutes to reach the city and another hour to make it to the warehouse in Lidcombe. I must state that for me it was an enjoyable novelty and at times I saw the better side of human nature. Not being familiar with the route I was often stuck in the wrong lane and people showed me more courtesy than I deserved.
On occasions when the traffic was bumper to bumper, I would look to the people in the lanes either side of me and some seemed pleased with their lot but mostly I thought of Henry David Thoreau's statement that, "the mass of men (sic) lead lives of quiet desperation."
I tried to console myself by thinking the jobs that required them to go through this daily frustration were worthwhile but that is a long bow to draw. Thoreau also commented,
If a man walk in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer; but if he spends his whole day as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making earth bald before her time, he is esteemed an industrious and enterprising citizen.
he then asked the question,
It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants. What are you industrious about?
Should the same question be posed of my occupation I could not say it is worthwhile. As my time in the Navy comes to a close I look back at the great energy I have expended and I am no better than the ant. As far as being regarded as a loafer, it looks promising.
The next time a discussion on the merits of Sydney arises, I will endure the pain and have a leg slung over either side of the fence.
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