Town Hall Station Is a Site That Connected to the Tradition Essay

Town hall station is a cultural monument located at the centre of Sydney district in New South Wales, Australia. The station was opened in 1932 and was built with six platforms split over two levels and situated on the earliest colonial cemetery. When the station was opened, there were only four platforms that were used, served by escalators on the lower side. These two platforms were built when planning for the proposed western suburbs which connected the city to Gladesville as visualized under the Bradfield scheme. The western line was not built from the start, and for that reason platforms, 4 and 5 were not used until this line was incorporated into the Eastern Suburbs line by the time it opened in 1979 (Lowe & Mackay, 1992). In 2005, the station underwent a major restructure when the shops inside were closed to pave the way for the increasing number of users and trains. Nevertheless, the old and new town hall stations are significant since it highlights the achievement made in the railway engineering and construction sector. Town Hall Station has contributed to the development of Sydney city since it allowed much-improved access outside the Central Station. Even after the renovation, some features remained unchanged. These include the escalators, steel framework that demonstrated the architectural aesthetic and balustrades. These attributed indicates that is indeed a connection between the old and present Town Hall station.

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What brings people together after a long duration is the basic need to survive and what makes them stay together culturally and emotionally is their glue to the traditions. Tradition in this context defines the people's values, patterns of behaviour and existing connections (Marcuse, 2013). When the old and the New Town Hall Stations are analysed, there is a connection to the basic elements of traditional attitude which have been expressed. The old architectural structure has been seen as the best and that the existing values or beliefs attached to the new structure follow the old path. Similarly, comfort and peace follow the previous legacies, and that old and the new structure are the same. Before the modern era, tradition has a critical part of every individual and community life since it did not do what nothing else had the capability of doing. The renovation has provided the order that facilitated stabilization of the social existence. The Station has encouraged the community ties and given people a sense of belonging in Sydney. Other than this, it has helped enhance the process of mental disposition which serves to cultural values and believe of those that have been using the railway since its inception. The wooden-stepped staircases are emblematic of the 20th-century industrial development which, revolves around the building narrative of industrialization. These escalators had a unique design and are an excellent example of the prevailing resourcefulness and capacity of the Australian industrial sector.

The global spread of democratic critics has supplemented the dominance of democratic rights over the last decade. In another perspective, this is not a surprise since popular ideas tend to create their own antagonism. Democracy has been popular and is demanded by a significant number of people across the globe. Because of this, it has become an ideal target to receive critique (Gilley, 2009). For this reason, there has been a slow accelerating wave associated with suspicious and sometimes even hostile thought to challenge democracy. The wave is unique from the inchoate parochial beliefs that the autocrats in nations like China, Iran or Cuba like promoting. Within the Town Halls, there were meetings organized by the local and national politicians to engage with the constituents either to address on their issues or to discuss on the upcoming legislative motions. During this duration, the stations were a locus for protest and active discussions on different issues. This tradition still exists even though done is a slightly different approach. Technology has been incorporated in the meetings, and currently, the meetings are organized in a variety of locations which are distributed evenly across the voting district to allow the elected representatives receive feedback from a significantly bigger population. Since democracy has become a normal form of government, putting into consideration the "variety of democracy" is a progressive endeavour (Gross, 1992). Through the meetings organized within the old and the new town hall stations, citizens have engaged in "deliberative" efforts to ensure that public policies are in line with the electoral rules. With the perspective on the need to enhance democracy, it can be asserted there is a connection between the old and the New Town Hall Stations.

Enlightenment philosophy was built on the sense that life is dynamic and transforms from primitive origin to the utopian end. It is associated with the political transformation and ideals. The energy generated and articulated by the elite foment of enlightenment thinkers contributed significantly to the increasing changes at Town Hall station. There was a belief that human beliefs and tradition could be enhanced through rational change (Taeusch, 1935). Various ideas associated with the enlightenment marked the peak of the influence and the transformation of the structural design of the station. Nevertheless, the tradition and the beliefs attached to it remained. The Enlightenment thinkers related the changes to the social, and spiritual growth, and unbound to time or place. The philosophers often had a firm assurance of humanity's rational capability, both in achieving a systematic understanding of concepts and serving an authoritative guide in practical life (Rihtman-Augustin, 1986). The assurance is often paired with mistrust to other forms or carriers of authority like tradition or myths. The philosophical context stands in tension with religion and the release from self-incurred maturity, audacious to think for oneself and intriguing to act for the betterment of their lives. This means that there was a continuous improvement at the Station through intelligence and effort. The society organized their improvement which was crucial in the development of modernity and also the shaping of colonialism.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there is no significant difference between the traditional and the new town hall station located in Sydney city. Regardless of the structural changes that were made during its innovation, some features remained unchanged to date. These include the escalators, steel framework that demonstrated the architectural aesthetic and balustrades. At the same time, its relevance towards the fight for democracy has not changed. It is still used to organize meetings by the local and national politicians to engage with the constituents on different issues linked to legislative motions and the quest for social justice. Other than the fight for democratic systems of government, the old and the new town hall station has enhanced ties with the locals to instil a sense of belonging amongst them. The mental disposition which enhances the cultural values has been improved hence the assertion that there is a link between the old and the new town hall station and the concept behind its structural design and position is attached to tradition.

References

Gilley, B. (2009). Is democracy possible?. Journal of Democracy, 20(1), 113-127.

Gross, D. (1992). The past in ruins: tradition and the critique of modernity. Univ of Massachusetts Press.

Lowe, A., & Mackay, R. (1992). Old Sydney Burial Ground. Australasian Historical Archaeology, 15-23.

Marcuse, H. (2013). Reason and revolution. Routledge.

Rihtman-Augustin, D. (1986). The Invention of Tradition, Edited by Eric Hobsbaum and Terence Ranger, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge-London-New York, 1984, 320 str. Narodna umjetnost: hrvatski casopis za etnologiju i folkloristiku, 23(1), 144-146.

Taeusch, C. (1935). What is "Capitalism"? International Journal of Ethics, 45(2), 221-234. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2377717