I suddenly recalled the moment when I was worried about my detail during reservist and wanted to find out as much as possible. I was persistently asking Man for a detailed breakdown of the end-to-end process; I wanted someone to guide me through it. It’s the same when I was in National Service (NS) and other places. For those who are unaware, in Singapore there’s a mandatory conscription for all able-bodied male Singaporean citizens or second-generation Permanent Residents (PRs).
During NS, I had a hard time executing the instructions given. I was only able to do the things I have done before, even if it's the same thing I'd be lost if it's in a different context. For example, when I was told to wash dishes during my part-time job as a waiter I was lost even though I have done it at home before. I was unconfident and had to ask the seniors how they did it. I’d want to adhere to the steps stupidly and asked them to repeat it to me just in case.
What about totally new tasks? For example, when it came to digging a shell scrape none of us had any experience in it. I have no idea how to find a good spot for it or how to be effective at digging. I knew I had to look for a ground without any rocks, away from ant nest and scorpions etc. However, I was unable to translate whatever little knowledge I had into effective actions. Halfway through digging I became worried because other people had already finished yet my end is nowhere in sight. My buddy ended up finishing first among our platoon and I had to ask him for help…
I believed he gave me advice on how to do it, yet I kept asking as if I wanted him to do it for me. My upbringing resulted in this: my mum would “teach” us by doing it for us, and this would be a constant refrain in my life. Some people have this miraculous ability to translate simple verbal hints/instructions into effective actions to solve the problem in a given context. For every given situation, there are a few crucial determining factors and it first requires shrewdness to recognise them. Next real-world constraints such as time and space forces a constant prioritisation and re-prioritisation of reply/reaction to get things done.
On that front, Benjamin Chan fare much worse than me when he didn’t even understand how to do ops room duty via basic verbal instructions. My colleague actually had to write a list of clear steps for him to help him do it. Yet another educated fool who was probably an absolute trash at soldiering, however unlike him I had the benefit of experience to know that.
Last updated: 25 July 2021