Preparing myself for ORD
I find that when certain figures in the army have to make a farewell due to a change in their appointment, it does so in torturing the NSFs. This can be done through parades, route marches, or any exercise challenge that commanders may wish for their men to go through for their sake. There are many things that I do not understand, such as the true nature of mathematics and quantum physics, but I am sure that this takes the cake.
Now, as I am a week away from finishing my national service term, I find my platoon mates stuck doing a 12km route march for the change of command of a Officer Commanding, something that would usually warrant a 30 minute parade instead of a 3 hour high-pressure physically straining ordeal. It is even more curious of the methodology in the thinking of these characters, as I wonder how making something infinitely more difficult for your lower ranked subordinates brings benefits to your life. A lot of my friends have resolved to making themselves unavailable during this period, myself included for legitimate reasons, in order to create their own comfortable road to the end of this 2 year challenge.
However today I want to look back at the life that I have led before I enlisted and after I enlisted. Much hardship builds character, and I only realised that this refers to the blood, sweat and tears used in the pursuit of something better and not just having a mental intellect to overcome a problem under the comfort of your home luxuries. This hardship that one has to go through has to put physical strain to your body, perhaps to its limit, so that you are able to reveal to yourself what kind of person you are. In times of great thirst, would you give water to your friends or sacrifice them for your own welfare? In times of great pain, would you struggle on with your friends or would you leave them behind? These questions have answers that can only be found behind the wall of luxury that one is so often keen on hiding behind. It is thus only during National Service that you can find yourself in this situation as in many other challenging cases there are avenues by which you can give up and find an alternative, more comfortable method.
The army has also given me an insight into the working lives of many people, and the bureaucracy behind many organisations. There are many guidelines dictating what you cannot and can do for lawful and safety purposes, and although they make sense in many cases, there are cases where they do not and you are only going through the motion as the law dictates. This can be found in many companies, but I never thought I'd find very good examples until I joined the army.
Finally, it also gave me an insight to your future colleagues. The people that you service with will be future subordinates, bosses or customers, and seeing what they are like as a person during the ordeals of the third paragraphs lets you know whether deep down they would willing to help you through a problem no matter the cost or would just leave you when you have expended your usefulness.
National Service is known in Singapore as a rite to allow people to transition from teenagers to adults, and it is not that far from the truth. As much as I hate to admit it, National Service has been useful in shaping my character as a person and allowing me to understand the responsibilities I must uphold in being a Singaporean citizen. I do hope that future generations understand this, and not just spend their time in a negative state of mind throughout their National Service term.
Cheers,
Matthew Tan
Now, as I am a week away from finishing my national service term, I find my platoon mates stuck doing a 12km route march for the change of command of a Officer Commanding, something that would usually warrant a 30 minute parade instead of a 3 hour high-pressure physically straining ordeal. It is even more curious of the methodology in the thinking of these characters, as I wonder how making something infinitely more difficult for your lower ranked subordinates brings benefits to your life. A lot of my friends have resolved to making themselves unavailable during this period, myself included for legitimate reasons, in order to create their own comfortable road to the end of this 2 year challenge.
However today I want to look back at the life that I have led before I enlisted and after I enlisted. Much hardship builds character, and I only realised that this refers to the blood, sweat and tears used in the pursuit of something better and not just having a mental intellect to overcome a problem under the comfort of your home luxuries. This hardship that one has to go through has to put physical strain to your body, perhaps to its limit, so that you are able to reveal to yourself what kind of person you are. In times of great thirst, would you give water to your friends or sacrifice them for your own welfare? In times of great pain, would you struggle on with your friends or would you leave them behind? These questions have answers that can only be found behind the wall of luxury that one is so often keen on hiding behind. It is thus only during National Service that you can find yourself in this situation as in many other challenging cases there are avenues by which you can give up and find an alternative, more comfortable method.
The army has also given me an insight into the working lives of many people, and the bureaucracy behind many organisations. There are many guidelines dictating what you cannot and can do for lawful and safety purposes, and although they make sense in many cases, there are cases where they do not and you are only going through the motion as the law dictates. This can be found in many companies, but I never thought I'd find very good examples until I joined the army.
Finally, it also gave me an insight to your future colleagues. The people that you service with will be future subordinates, bosses or customers, and seeing what they are like as a person during the ordeals of the third paragraphs lets you know whether deep down they would willing to help you through a problem no matter the cost or would just leave you when you have expended your usefulness.
National Service is known in Singapore as a rite to allow people to transition from teenagers to adults, and it is not that far from the truth. As much as I hate to admit it, National Service has been useful in shaping my character as a person and allowing me to understand the responsibilities I must uphold in being a Singaporean citizen. I do hope that future generations understand this, and not just spend their time in a negative state of mind throughout their National Service term.
Cheers,
Matthew Tan
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