3 more months
FRIEND: Eh you not sian meh thursday friday saturday parade rehearsal, sunday rest, monday tuesday rehearse again, wednesday rest, thursday parade, friday rest, saturday parade again.
ME: Better than being in the workshop monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday.
A day in the workshop is just...just..I don't know. On another note, energy levels are at all-time low. I had been subsisting on 1-day weekends for a month a fortnight ago, marathon runs are now conducted every tuesdays and fridays, and now, change-of-command parade on top of ndp parade. But I'm not complaining because a full week at the workshop is a few levels worse than all that. And I've been going through full weeks at the workshop since January. When isit going to end.
Anyway, just to highlight the sheer idiocy of the army, 40 able-bodied men are pulled out from each of 4 maintainence battalions for 5 working days just to rehearse for a change-of-command parade for our big head officer. That's 6400 man-hours gone. Converting this sum to monetary terms, where each man-hour is $66, (curiously enough we don't see that amount of pay given to us; yea army gives out allowance and not pay-- so this makes us cheap labour), we arrive at a figure in excess of $400,000. Essentially $400,000 is spent for 160 men to carry rifles and drip bucketloads of sweat just to have a ceremony for the new incoming boss. Even if you don't think it as money lost such operations have absolutely no profitable outcome save for the ceremonial value generated, and even then this value is a transient and abstract value, which is actually a nicer way of saying it's total bullshit.
ME: Better than being in the workshop monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday.
A day in the workshop is just...just..I don't know. On another note, energy levels are at all-time low. I had been subsisting on 1-day weekends for a month a fortnight ago, marathon runs are now conducted every tuesdays and fridays, and now, change-of-command parade on top of ndp parade. But I'm not complaining because a full week at the workshop is a few levels worse than all that. And I've been going through full weeks at the workshop since January. When isit going to end.
Anyway, just to highlight the sheer idiocy of the army, 40 able-bodied men are pulled out from each of 4 maintainence battalions for 5 working days just to rehearse for a change-of-command parade for our big head officer. That's 6400 man-hours gone. Converting this sum to monetary terms, where each man-hour is $66, (curiously enough we don't see that amount of pay given to us; yea army gives out allowance and not pay-- so this makes us cheap labour), we arrive at a figure in excess of $400,000. Essentially $400,000 is spent for 160 men to carry rifles and drip bucketloads of sweat just to have a ceremony for the new incoming boss. Even if you don't think it as money lost such operations have absolutely no profitable outcome save for the ceremonial value generated, and even then this value is a transient and abstract value, which is actually a nicer way of saying it's total bullshit.
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Quoting from "Reflections on the Fall of Rome":
'That public virtue which among the ancients was denominated patriotism, is derived from a strong sense of our own interest in the preservation and prosperity of the free government of which we are members. Such a sentiment, which had rendered the legions of the republic almost invincible, could make but a very feeble impression on the mercenary servants of a despotic prince; and it became necessary to supply that defect by other motives, of a different, but no less forcible nature; honour and religion. The peasant, or mechanic, imbibed the useful prejudice that he was advanced to the more dignified profession of arms, in which his rank and reputation would depend on his own valour: and that, although the prowess of a private soldier must often escape the notice of fame, his own behaviour might sometimes confer glory or disgrace on the company, the legion, or even the army, to whose honours he was associated. On his first entrance into the service, an oath was administered to him, with every circumstance of solemnity. He promised never to desert his standard, to submit his own will to the commands of his leaders, and to sacrifice his life for the safety of the emperor and the empire. The attachment of the Roman troops to their standards, was inspired by the united influence of religion and of honour. The golden eagle, which glittered in the fornt of the legion, was the object of their fondest devotion; nor was it esteemed less impious, than it was ignominious, to abandon that sacred ensign in the hour of danger...
From such laudable arts did the valour of the Imperial troops receive a degree of firmness and docility, unattainable by the impetuous and irregular passions of barbarians...'
Similarities in motives and methods.
Aquila
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