Happy New Year (?)

 
While walking home from Sydney's Circular Quay having watched what I could see of the New Year fireworks - just a 20 minute walk - I counted 7 ambulances pass by with sirens blaring, presumably carting some unfortunate or irresponsible revellers off to hospital. That's an ambulance roughly every 3 minutes. In fact, I don't think the chorus of sirens quietened down until a further half hour after I got home.

Before continuing, this is certainly *not* a commentary on Sydney or even Australia, but more general thoughts about society - Sydney just happens to be the latest place I've observed what I just described. I'm also pretty confident a large number of cases were tourists, given the status and attraction of Sydney's New Year festivities and the numbers that flock here each year.

I said "unfortunate or irresponsible". Now don't get me wrong - I am all in favour of going out to drink and be merry. It's just sad that invariably some overdo it with "innocent" people usually suffering consequences. There are always accidents/incidents where people are in the wrong place at the wrong time - these are unfortunate. But it's not an unfair assumption that on this night (or any "night out", festive or otherwise) most cases are alcohol - or these days, unfortunately drug - related where people have gone beyond their limits, spoiling their own night and that of others too. You only have to watch one of the myriad of police reality or CCTV shows to validate that. Government advertising campaigns now resort to using "shock" as a deterrent - bloody images of people screaming in pain - in an attempt to get through to people. But when just about everything we see on TV contains special effects now I wonder how much of it really hits home. Maybe we simply don't care. I just read a number that just 78% of EU drivers surveyed believe drink driving is dangerous - a very specific alcohol sub-topic but it infers volumes as to how society thinks about it in general.

So after much ado, I get to my point. I extend my respect and admiration to volunteer medics around the world who staff ambulances as well as A&E/ER doctors & nurses - all of whom selflessly give up their own New Year celebrations (or any other festivity) and generally work through the night taking care of the rest of us when we can't or won't take care of ourselves. Happy New Year to you.