The Great Divide

So here's the split - as I described in my last posting, I have immense respect for the work that is done on ground in this industry. The infantry. The heart of the energy industry. The guys & girls who actually make things happen. But if they are the heart then where is the soul?

We had one of the big chiefs over this week from the US, so we were dutifully gathered together to listen to him preaching the gospel. I've heard it all before, so my mind wanders... this guy is a clone of every other bigwig who occasionally deign us with their presence, monotone, humourless. At what point do they all converge and become synonymous with the corporation? Is it a time or a seniority thing? Or is it simply the fact that they get a hard-on over a million barrels of oil?

I'm only half joking here. They'll say something like "Year to date we've increased production by over 1.5 million barrels a day", and then sit back for a moment with a semi smirk, slightly dilated pupils and a look that I've only ever seen elsewhere in teenage boys trying to look cool when describing an (almost certainly fabricated) sexual conquest. They sit there waiting for you to give a knowing, approving nod, and the sycophants generally oblige. It's pathetic.

The industry has such a big, strong heart, but looks upwards for it's soul and conscience. But it's not there. All the generals are concerned with is making the heart bigger, stronger, more efficient... and it all comes back to greed. You're probably thinking that I'm a bit slow, or nominating myself for the Nobel Prize for stating-the-bleeding-obvious, but it's not that clear when you're stuck in the middle. It's called sitting too close to read the 15-foot letters painted on the wall. Daily I have to choose between doing the work that keeps the generals happy and the work that benefits the infantry. Purgatory.

But how can this situation change? Do I need to get out? Or am I better off keeping my head down & my nose clean, in order to get to a position where I can have more influence?

I once read a sign that said "Doing a good job here is like wetting yourself in a dark suit. You get a warm feeling but nobody notices."

In the mean time, I'll be doing what I can to back up the infantry.