Onward!!

Observing the effects of the Icelandic volcano that has been spewing ash over Europe in recent days has, to my mind, exposed the incredible hubris us first-worlders have grown to have. Our news are full of increasingly tight questioning by both journalists and firms about why regulators are not allowing flight. There is talk of the untold millions of pounds the natural event may cost business that was expecting spending and moving like usual. Vox pops conducted at airports, train stations and ferry terminals repeat annoyance and and frustration.

It really shows how we are at the mercy of forces so much more powerful and unpredictable than anything we have constructed ourselves.

I understand that the flight ban has no doubt caused some people to miss the funerals or weddings of loved ones. For that I am sorry. But the sense of taking cross-continental flight for granted is a bit worrying. The distinct threat of climate change in the not-too-distant future, and avoiding the worst effects of such a threat, would mean precisely this, a reduction in the availability of air travel for the vast majority of us. Maybe this’ll be a catalyst for business to try videoconferencing more seriously than they have done before. It certainly should be treated as an opportunity to change practices to more resilient ones, as transport has been shown to be quite fickle.

With business (and no doubt passengers) clamoring to be allowed to fly again, we should keep in mind that it still does involve putting several hundred people into an aluminium tube and powering them through the air at several hundred kilometres an hour. Anything that causes even a remote chance of the death of everyone on board should be taken seriously. This is a good a time as any to apply the Precautionary Principle. I know there is an impassioned argument against the application of a precautionary principle, such as that of Cass Sunstein, when it is applied regardless of the benefits that could be realised by going through with an action. Thing is, I find it hard to find the social benefit of getting a planeload of tulips or passion fruit delivered right now, today, without delay. Can we honestly not do without these things for a moment? Who knows, maybe we’ll save our money and spend it on something more local and – yeah I went there – more worthwhile.

Of course, that might not give much consolation if you’re stuck in Madrid and you should have been at work in London today, a Monday. Maybe you’ve taken desperate measures, hired a car and driven to Paris to try and catch a Eurostar to London, only to hear they’re fully booked until Wednesday night. Maybe you’ve driven the hire car up to Calais to see if there are ferries, to be greeted by the news that the UK government is deploying some of their aircraft carriers to help in getting stranded passengers off the continent. Maybe.

But consider for a moment that you are in Madrid, in late April. What, honestly, is so important it can’t wait a few days? And yes, I am aware of the strain it may place on your funds. I am making the assumption that the hotels provided by airlines according to European law (and at their cost, despite the situation not being of their making) are suitable and should you need cash immediately you could get it wired via Western Union or similar, thanks to being able to get in touch with relatives back home. I know that the above is an assumption, but I hope it’s a reasonable one.

I like the idea of slowing down and taking stock for a moment. If it takes the immense power of an Icelandic volcano to make us think, so be it. I’m glad there’s still some things that can put us uppity humans in our place.

Writing this from the cab to the airport at stupid o’clock. Part of me would like to stay here, in the house all decked out for Christmas by my housemates for their celebrations here. But a big part of me is so, so glad to be going to where it’s clear, quiet and a bit of a break from London.

And it was immense.

I remember sitting in a high school computer class on 9/9/99. That’s exactly ten years ago. Then we were discussing whether operating systems would freak out because some sort of interrupt routine used a row of nines as its trigger or somesuch. I whizzed through the programming exercise and browsed internet forums, looking out through the horizontal blinds in the window.

I remember thinking about University, and whether I’d attend one that had a lush green campus like the American prospectuses always showed. I was sure I’d do something related to biology then. Weird, how differently things panned out. Even three years ago I thought I would be making a kind of return to that idea when I decided to do Environmental Policy. Turns out it had nothing to do with it. You could argue the way it was taught had little to do with any tangible “environment” at all.

Spending another Sunday mostly recovering from the revelry of the two previous nights, coupled with a few early starts in the preceding week has reminded me of what I guess I always knew: I am in the seeming minority of people that like mornings. Waking up early and getting things done before the day has even properly started is one of those things I honestly enjoy but will fully accept most people rolling their eyes at. Still, feeling like I’ve done absolutely nothing save for a trip to the shop to get something to eat  - I just can’t see someone finding that attractive. Feel free to disagree, I’d like to know.

London really isn’t conducive to early starts, though. There’s always something on in the evenings, and the work day tends to drag on too. Once you get swept up in it all it’s hard to extricate yourself. At least it feels like it’d require quite fundamental changes in what I do and the times I see people, and I think it’s only natural be concerned for your social life.

I’m going to start hunting for self-discipline and self-control. Getting things done and feeling on top of things, enjoying an unhurried early morning before work. Considering it’s a time of transition I’m going through in any case, I don’t see why not.

I’ll see how I can combine this determination with an imminent festival weekend, though. Not too well, I suspect.