The tube strikes this week and next will cause chaos to many commuters attempting to get across London from Tuesday evening until Friday morning.
According to Transport for London (TfL) most lines will still be open, they just might be running on a reduced service with certain stations being closed, so most people will be able to get around if they want to.
However, just because you can doesn't mean you should. Tube strikes are going ahead because of the lengthening of tube times and the removal of nearly 1,000 jobs, that are apparently going to be "moved into another part of TfL services".
There's a sad shift to not supporting any of our workers, in London. When teachers, lecturers and other key members of our society when they go on strike. It's like we think that people deserve bad pay, to lose their job, insanely long hours and little respect.
And that's a disgrace. Interestingly the first week of strikes comes at an important time. While the tube strikes are going on, UCU have another two hour walk-out on Thursday. It doesn't sound much but it is, there are a slow but perhaps growing number of on-going campaigns and strikes from people that are not only valued but crucial to our society.
While their 'ideas' may cause you disruption and hassle, imagine how difficult life would be without any tube drivers and customer assistance people to keep the underground working for you in the first place.
If you chose to cross the picket line and wait five minutes for a northbound Northern line train via Bank at 8:30am in the morning, then frankly I hope it's twice as hellish as it normally is. Which it will be. As suddenly the service is massively reduced, good luck getting on the second or third train, like normal, maybe try the fifth or sixth and how you're all going to fit onto the platform at places like London Bridge and Bank I have absolutely no idea.
But thanks to the tube strikes this first week, it's a benefit to certain students. As it means getting to university is increasingly difficult for me (I could ultimately scab and not show tube strikers support, get squashed causing my heart problem chaos and carry on like nothing is happening) which would normally be a bad thing.
However, I support the UCU strikes. I support my lecturers, class teachers and all other university members of staff. It means I can legitimately not go to my Thursdays seminar that occurs at the same time as the strike. That seminar happens to have been rescheduled, something I personally disagree with as it means the university has no reason to fall to your demands because you're still doing all the work you'd be doing if you weren't on strike.
The tube strikes give me a chance to show my full support to them, my lecturers and it reminds me of all the other struggles that people are facing out their regards the working landscape, wage prospects and a general hope of a better, nicer and manageable future.
It's entirely up to you whether you support them or not, but remember next time you say you think your wage should go up, you should feel more valued as a worker and that you'd like better working conditions, remember I'll be supporting you.
Remember that you wouldn't be able to get to that job, that very precious job, without tube stuff. Remember next time you are sick and go to see a medical professional where you would be without them doing what they do.
Remember if you happen to need the fire brigade that many of them recently lost their jobs because hardly anybody decided to stand up against the closure of all those important fire stations.
Remember that if you have children or you're in university staff want what's best for education, but they need to be respected with a fair wage and working hours in a week.
Remember that the world isn't just about you, your wage and your quality and happiness of living - it's about that of all of society. Because without all these crucial people, your job and your life would be a lot more difficult than it is today.
It's all about choices. It's entirely up to you on which side of the fence you fall. But remember, once you've fallen, there is no ladder to the other side. You're either with the strikers, with the future of demanding better, wanting better and living for better or you're on the side of frozen wages, poor working conditions and a mediocre existence - just saying.