BMT was a fun, interesting and rather meaningful experience for me. Unlike most soldiers, I only experienced it after already having served for over a year as a non-combatant. So I had the privilege of being less lost, confused and overwhelmed than fresh enlistees who suddenly find themselves thrust into a new world.

Being a part of something greater than yourself:

Let’s talk about marching and doing foot drills. A platoon that does great drills is wonderful to be a part of. You really get a sense of being a part of something greater than yourself as everybody marches in step. It’s a lot like playing in a great band, or perhaps being part of a great dance group or sports team. There’s a sort of emergent phenomena that arises- everybody’s sense of time reaches a sort of synchrony. The dance becomes greater than the dancer, the music becomes greater than the musician. It becomes easy to become a part of it- natural, comfortable. You can take your conscious mind off it and allow your non-conscious to take control- which is one of the most enjoyable experiences you can get, to be able to let go and find yourself functioning beautifully.

It seems like a very silly thing to bother with, marching properly- but doing it well is satisfying. Once you get it right as a platoon, distances become a lot shorter- you feel like everyone’s carrying each other, like a flock of birds flying together. There’s less resistance. My platoon was initially not very bothered with marching properly, until we were put under the charge of a platoon sergeant who expected more from us, and punished us when we were out of line. Some of us griped and complained, but I think there was no mistaking the pleasure we all got out of doing it well afterwards.

Communal Living:

Then there’s communal living, which is a lot of the same thing. The guys in a bunk become a part of a greater organism- waking up at 5am in the morning becomes easier to do when there are other guys who need to wake up too, who will be held accountable if you’re late.

I often enjoyed witnessing all the little interactions that happen- I think the best part of BMT is what happens when you’re not training, when you see guys from different lifestyles and backgrounds (who would have never otherwise met each other) bonding over little nothings, polishing their boots in the corridor and talking about everything from girls to their future plans. I think that’s the part that actually contributes the most to our national security, because it helps guys see that we are not all that different from one another, and that we all have a lot in common- and that for the most part, most people are friendly and willing to look out for each other.

I think for most guys, NS is the first time you truly feel like your attitude and aptitude directly influences others, and vice versa. If you wanted to screw up in school, you can, and you don’t really drag anybody else down with you. (Well, sometimes you do- but it’s a lot more subtle.) Here, one man’s misadventures can ruin everyone else’s day- someone lost a small component of a certain item during our field camp, which meant that the entire company- over 200 guys- had to spend 4 hours crawling through the mud on all fours, searching with a fine toothed comb. Some people respond to such circumstances with anger and frustration- I personally thought of it as a lesson on life itself- we are all interconnected and our actions almost always have repercussions on others, whether we realise it or not.

Then there was the physical training! The running, the pushups, the weight of the load we had to carry. It’s all a lot more fun when you’re doing it in a large group, too.

Firing a Rifle:

I found firing a rifle to be a very spiritual experience. You have to use your whole body- you have to stay calm, pay attention to your breathing. You have to hold the rifle close to you, allow your body to act as a support system- the rifle doesn’t work FOR you, you work WITH it. The force of the recoil, the smell of the gunpowder- it was all very thrilling.

I enjoyed all the little conversations I managed to have with all sorts of people in all sorts of situations- my peers, my superiors. I encountered a few sergeants who were younger than me, which was an interesting experience- to be senior to somebody in terms of age, but to be junior to them in terms of experience.

It made me realize that the differences between people can usually be reduced to the experiences that they go through- a person who has experienced more, who has pushed himself harder- usually seems or “feels” more “superior”- more learned, in a way- and it’s context dependent, so you might be my superior in a military context, but I might be your superior in another. Everyone you meet is better than you at something in some way, so we’ve all got opportunities to learn from everyone, mentors are all around us if we take the trouble to look.

Taking Charge:

Another thing I learnt was that most people don’t really like to step up and take charge. I imagine this varies from group to group, depending on the sort of people you have- but in a mix of nearly random individuals, most people are hesitant. Well, at least among young Singaporean males. Perhaps it would be different in a context with a culture of excellence, such as in Officer Cadet School- but I think it’s fair to say that for the most part, people are afraid of failure, of being laughed at, afraid to try something that’s not in their comfort zone. This actually affords a lot of opportunities for would-be hustlers- often all you need to get what you want is to be confident and assertive (but not an asshole, of course.)

I was my platoon IC for a while- I was selected even though I made a specific attempt to stay under the radar. Some of my platoon-mates would criticize or mock me for my mistakes- but none of them chose to trade places with me when I offered them the opportunity.

I remember one particular guy would stand in my spot, as a joke- and I would make a show of being thankful for his assistance and join the rest- he panicked, anxious to avoid the responsibility that he was making fun of. When my tour of duty was over and the next guy was selected, a few of them begged me to reclaim my former position- they had gotten used to me, and we’d developed a common understanding and familiarity- the new guy was far more nervous and indecisive than I was.

I found the whole episode a little amusing and enlightening- we are quick to criticize anybody who sticks his neck out, until they’ve established their worth- then we miss them when they’re gone. Makes you think about what it means to be a leader, to be a decision-maker. I feel like the whole episode taught me better how to step back from a situation and analyse it dispassionately, to avoid being troubled by a little bit of unwarranted criticism and dissent.

Regimentation, Restrictions, Routine:

I remember always being anxious just before booking in- while I was still at home- it always felt like there was so much for me to do while I was free on the mainland, and that I never really got enough done. Strangely, a wave of calm would wash over me once I was at Pasir Ris interchange, where we gather before moving to the Ferry Terminal by charted bus. I realize that this was the comfort of routine- my anxiety stemmed from “so much to do, so many ways to do them, not sure what to do, not sure where to start”- the calm came from knowing exactly what I was going to do- everything’s decided for you in BMT- what time to wake up, what meals you eat, where you sleep, etc.

It might seem awfully restrictive, but I actually found it tremendously liberating- when you get these little details out of the way, you’re freed up to expend your cognitive resources on more important things- like HOW you are going to do the things that you’ve got to do, rather than what you ought to do.

Choice and Mental Clarity:

I found myself thinking about how to approach things. I enjoyed going for one of our long runs and deciding that I was going to learn to let go of my conscious mind’s interference with my running- and I did, and I found myself experiencing the joy that some describe as the Runner’s High- to witness yourself moving, somewhat gracefully, without any worrisome thoughts.

My mind was a fresh page at those moments, and what I wrote down (metaphorically) felt poignant, valuable. Clarity of mind is a precious asset. I realized then that I ought to develop routines to deal with the mundane and trivial so that I could focus my energies on things that really mattered. (I still haven’t really gotten around to doing as well as I’d like to, but I’ve made progress!)

For those of you who haven’t enlisted yet- NS can be meaningful and a source of learning and growth of the likes of nothing you’ve experienced before. You don’t really have a choice when it comes to serving, but you have a choice when it comes to what you’re going to make of it. ORD LOH! (Your time will come.)

TL:DR;

You learn how to function as a part of something greater than yourself.

It’s the little interactions that add up.

Regimentation frees up your mind to focus on other things.

We are all interconnected.

You don’t get to choose what to do, but you do get to choose what you’re going to make of it.