It's about 6 days past my 6 months mark into the army and I guess it would be appropriate to bring out some retrospection at this time juncture. Granted that I'm not even midway through my 2-year journey, but it is undeniable that I have gain much invaluable lessons and virtues in this short span of time.

Army has taught me to be a better son.

Let's be honest: I was never someone who was particularly filial or someone who placed his family as his utmost priority. I often considered my family from a purely functional point of view, with perfunctory roles such as 'father', 'mother' and of course, 'son'. I never truly cherished the presence and love of my family members (especially my parents) and even those short rare instances when gratitude blossoms aren't long to last. Miraculously or otherwise, a third party organization like the Army has managed to turn that all around. Being separated from your family for the most of the week gives you time to realize how you take their omnipresence for granted. Tough times and hardship coupled with timely reminders from my commanders got me thinking and realizing that my parents are truly sacrificial people who embody unconditional love. Despite all those times when I turned my cheek and closed my hearts, they never once looked back and only continued to shower me with more love in the hope that I may mature into someone better. I guess that didn't come to naught given where I am now (although credit partially goes to the SAF). I now make it a point to acknowledge their efforts with periodic gifts and to make them feel special and appreciated on their birthdays and Father's/Mother's Day. I am glad that I am now not only a better Singaporean son, but one who is worthy for my parents to claim as their own son.

Army has taught me to be proud without being arrogant.

Pride is something that is hard to come without a hint of arrogance. The conventional train of thought is that pride ushers in a fall, but only so if one is overwhelmed with an air of superiority and condescension. Admittedly, I still occasionally regard myself as superior to other men in the army simply because I am given the privilege to be a commander. I learn, however, that pride is something that needs to be earned while arrogance comes as an inherent human flaw. We all long to stroke our ego and feel good about ourselves often at the expense of others and such false uplifting is a corollary of arrogance. On the other hand, pride stems from hard work and self-sacrifice. We feel proud when we are able to overcome and subvert obstacles banking only on our own individual capacity and not taking any short cuts. I learn to take pride in everything I do and in so doing, only strive for nothing less than best. I still struggle to keep my arrogance at bay but at least I am now conscious of that. As with what we recite every morning, I hope to serve with pride, honour and integrity.

Army has taught me I am stronger mentally than I can ever imagine.

This is something really interesting because even when I learn that I am mentally stronger than I previously gauged, even this now "limit" that I have reached is nowhere close to my maximum capacity. It's pretty much an argument that stretches on end. The endless hardship and challenges I have been put through in the army (especially during my days so far in OCS) have repeatedly put my mental strength to the test and each time I surprise and impress myself. It's one thing to know that you have the ability to do it, but to choose to test that capacity requires courage and mental strength. Even with every 2.4km run I undertake, I have to set my mind on getting that gold right from the very first step I take all the way to the last fatigued footing I struggle to do. Cutting it real close with 2-4 seconds to spare doesn't remove any of that stress. It's really about believing that you can do it and then committing your mind to actually executing and fulfilling that intention. It's not easy, but the sense of achievement and fulfillment when you complete what you set your mind out to do is priceless.

Army has taught me it isn't a waste of time.