No. 4 - Purposefully Repetitive
We now go back out to sea. We hope to map the frontal zones and
eddies in the ocean flow that meanders past the islands. We also
want to assess the fauna of these waters whose populations are
hell-bent on growing as fast as they can and spreading their
young as far as they can during the short summer. Well, at least
we'll form a good impression given that the ship can move only so
fast and everything else is moving as well. We'll work around
the clock for the next 15-17 days systematically sampling the
waters that cover the shelf surrounding the archipelago and onto
the adjacent slopes and deep water as well. But collecting the
measurements, sorting the samples, processing the data is tedious
work and the big picture is slow to emerge.
This can be a drag for humans. The jobs are purposefully
repetitive, the watches are long, day blends into night which
becomes no different than day, and the mind tends to lose focus.
Fog and constant motion add to the sense of alienation and time
stretches out and out. Fifteen days can seem like three months.
Here we need routine. Routine is a sacred rite that adds a sense
of regularity to our lives so that we can mark time and move
forward rather than sink into a stupor. Routine assures you that
you're doing the right thing at the right time and haven't
absent-mindedly skipped an important detail.
I post the watch schedules that the four disciplines have given
me so that everyone knows who's on and who's off, and I scatter
station maps in all the labs and give them to the crew. People
tape them on doors and bulkheads to help keep score. The
old-timers seem to know the value of routine, but the new kids
find it hard to believe after the last 10 days.
-Roger