So i’m back.
From reservist, or NSmen, as they like to term it nowadays, training. And the surprising thing is, it wasn’t as bad as i thought it could’ve been.
The training programme was pretty easygoing, since the goal of this in-camp training (ICT) was to build cohesion within the company. This meant that the focus was on building and strengthening relationships.
This was done through “cohesion games”, “cohesion dinner” and lotsa free time, or white space, for section and platoon mates to renew acquaintances and catch up with one another. Incidentally, my platoon won the inaugural Annual Captain’s Ball Challenge and will be hard-pressed to retain the trophy next year.
Just a casual observation, but you don’t know what weird is until you see a hundred men cheering on sixteen other men playing a game of competitive Captain’s Ball, like it’s the FA Cup final or something.
i don’t know. Maybe it’s just me, but there should be a law and it should be enforced that whenever Captain’s Ball is played, there should be, at the very least, one female on each team. It just seems a little wrong that sixteen men, oozing machismo amongst other, um, bodily secretions stuff, should go all out in a game of Captain’s Ball. i mean, i love the game and all. It’s fun and i rule playing it, but if it’s all guys, then we really should be playing football, basketball or, my personal favourite, good ol’ rugby.
*grunt*
Anyway, i appreciated the SAF approach to reservist training. It’s very realistic and perceptive of them to realise that reservist training has to be conducted on the basis of strong relationships and mustual understanding for it to be truly effective. There still needs to be personal discipline, of course, but expecting NSmen to behave like they used to when they were NSFs would be ludicrous and i’m glad that approach was not taken.
Kudos to SAF.
In a way, i’m glad for my week back in the army. i still don’t appreciate having to book in and out of camp and having my freedom curtailed like that, but i really enjoyed talking to my section mates, both my seniors and contemporaries, as well as striking up new friendships with my platoon mates.
It’s so different from relating to them when i was a NSF. All of us have grown, some physically, others in terms of maturity, some in both ways, but there’s a very real common understanding that we’re all in this together, no matter how much we might complain and joke about various ways of skiving next year’s ICT. We have that commonality that binds and is unique to every Singaporean male.
And that’s precious.
In the end, if we are ever called upon to defend our nation, it is this commonality and the people we love that will spur us to give our lives, not abstract notions of nationhood or organisational loyalty.
It’s not a suprising revelation, but a great reminder from God nonetheless, that it really is all about relationships.
It really is.
