Saluting 'The Man in the Arena'
OPINION: As I was putting the final touches on my column for last month, the hottest ‘breaking news’ was the Scott Robertson story from New Zealand Rugby.
During the normal chatter you get over lunch, the businessman told us of a rather incredulous experience he had on a recent road trip up north.
With the Brynderwyns on highway one still closed, he had to take the bypass route out along the east coast. To his utter amazement, and amusement, he said every single one-way bridge on that bypass had two, sometimes three traffic management staff present. Zillions of cones were no longer enough!
I was interested in his take on it, so I let him tell his story.
What he didn’t know was we too had done that same trip many times over the years, our latest trip being early June, and had noted those same traffic management staff now present to “hold our hands” as we bravely crossed those bridges.
Having lived rural for much of my life, I had never considered one-way bridges to be a hazard, nor had I ever felt traumatised crossing them!
In all my years of driving, I have never actually experienced or witnessed any traffic incident with these bridges. After all, they are very well sign posted, with clear road markings.
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Way back before I was married, I did experience an incident, but it certainly wasn’t traffic related! I was on my motorbike quite late one evening, only to pick up a rather large black bull in my lights at the other end of the bridge. He was much more interested in settling down for the night than he was in letting me through. And he had that “Don’t mess with me tonight” look in his eye!
Growing up I was taught I had a good brain, so I needed to use it! Now, there’s a random thought worth considering. I was also instructed to use what previous generations used to call common sense. Yep, I heard those words “use your common sense” more times than I will ever remember
In conversations like this over the years, I have been told that common sense is no longer common. It may even be close to extinction, a few suggested.
I was in a large store recently and looked at some irons. Reading the booklet from the box, I noted these words printed in bold text: ‘WARNING! Do not iron clothes on the body’.
Hmm, I thought to myself, it looks like those folks might be right after all. Maybe common sense is extinct. Perhaps it is time to wrap us all up snug in cotton wool!
A quick lesson from nature: baby eagles would never learn to fly if their over-protective mums kept them wrapped in cotton wool. For sure, there is a time for that. But there is also a time for them to fulfil their destiny, and fly. And being the great mums they are, they make sure that this happens.
Today I am very thankful my folks pushed the common sense thing in my growing years. It has been a blessing many times over. And perhaps even more so for these days we find ourselves living in, with all the scams and similar deceit out there.
And yes, I am also grateful I learned at a young age that I am never alone. There really is Someone out there watching out for me.
Take care and God bless.
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