Zachary J. Roman
22 October 2009
The Aussie Way – 'No Worries Mate'
Since I was old enough to remember, I’ve heard Australia has a laid back and carefree attitude. Now that I have been here for 3 months, I realise there is some truth to this notion of Australia, but only to a certain extent. Through my experience, Australia’s people are laid back and carefree for matters that are not urgent or critically important situations. I would say that Australian’s don’t sweat the small things in life. Aussie language even reflects their laid back nature with one of the most widely used phrases being ‘no worries’ and also with the friendly term ‘mate’. However, an interesting insight into Australian culture that I believe can only be understood firsthand is that, although Australians seem to stress less about the small day to day problems, they do have a ‘big-picture’ will to succeed in life.
I talked to an English navy engineer who has lived in the southern Melbourne suburbs for 4 years about the ‘Aussie Way’ and he explained that it is the service people in Australia who allow the culture to be carefree. In his opinion, it is because the people don’t have to worry about things being fixed that they can go about their normal day knowing that everything will work sooner rather than later. Because there is no need to worry about the small problems, Australians can place their focus on the big problems in life. It’s possible that the laid back Aussie way is due to the service people, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this is only one of the many factors. Another likely factor for the ‘no worries’ mind set is the drinking aspect of Aussie culture.
The legal drinking age in Australia is 18, which is three years sooner than America’s legal age. It is very possible that the youth of Australia become laid back partially because of the three year edge of experience with alcohol so that it’s far more normal in Australia to kick back on any given night and have a few cold ones. While Aussies seem to know how to enjoy a few drinks, they also know how to gear up for work the next day. This is where the ‘big-picture’ will comes into play. They can relax and enjoy a few drinks at night, but also be realistic about work the next day.
While the service industry and drinking culture are likely two contributory factors for the Aussie Way, I’m sure there are many more upon further examination such as the climate and landscape and their multicultural make-up. Regardless of the factor or causes of the Aussie way, as a result of the Commonwealth of Australia uniting ‘One Nation, One People, One Destiny’, Australia seems to hold the worldview of ‘no worries mate’.
24 September 2009
The mystery of human existence doesn’t change because I moved to the other side of the earth. During orientation week at La Trobe University, I had conversations with international students and it was an incredible learning experience.
Life may be different in other countries, but it’s not better or worse. We tell ourselves that we’re proud to be American, Swedish, Asian or Australian, but we are all humans that share the title of Homo sapiens. Although every people from every country have a way of living specific to imaginary boundaries, earth is filled with humans who must all discover their own destiny.
After conversing with students from across the globe, I realized how similar, but yet how different every human being is. Every people from every country have their own patterns of behaviour specific to their interaction with their environment. Earth was pure and unscathed before humankind began to manipulate nature with technology. Before humankind came into existence, life evolved with the flow of nature as its guide. When we consider this thought on existence, it is accompanied by beauty and simplicity that should make us feel the need to reassure ourselves that existence is meaningful and if not, we should strive for purposeful change. When pursuing truth, cultural boundaries are meaningless. We all must create our own destiny and pursue our own truth.
