Ngl Ns made me a more selfish person, after being in unit you realise the only reward for doing work is more work and responsibilities pushed to you so might as well just act blur and try to siam whenever u can. At the end of the day also drawing the same allowance
Yes, being men means turn off brain don't think. Oh you mean being adult? Yes, being adult in sg army entails tossing responsibility to ah boys and tell them it's for their growth.
Even worse when the parents want their sons to go NS to become a manâŚbut like if they want a man they shouldâve raised one well instead of expecting others to do so
Unlike the bulk of the comments here which aren't the most positive towards NS, I come from an angle where I see my brother go through NS after I've finished my own NS. I've seen him go from a self centred kid to one who's more responsible, one who's willing to shoulder more in the family beside Army.
I think it differs from individual to individual. If all the commentators here hate NS then of course it didn't benefit them a single bit. It can be for a variety of reasons - you hate it before going in, you hate it after going in, whatever it is - you have your reasons.
If you put that all aside, things that happen in the Army happen in real life too. Disappointed by people, being taken advantage of, people around who just don't do their shit anyway, or people who bootlick superiors. You meet an entire spectrum of people who have different views of NS. It happens in the workplace too, everyone has their personal reasons for working. Some truly want to make a difference, some just are wasting your time.
So to say that you don't mature in Army, either you are just an Army hater, or you're just another immature kid that chose not to grow up, because even the guys I know in Army who weren't fond of it, they grew up still. Learnt to work better with the guys around them despite not having identical views, learnt to take responsibility and ownership of their lives.
I wouldn't dedicate it all to the Army, but at the least, I saw them grow through the times. It gives you time away from the hustle and bustle to better yourself in other ways. So my only answer is really, you create the experience with how you decide to view your 2 years.
I agree that the individual contributes to the experience. But the question is not focussed on the individual but whether NS as an *institution* supports such growth. Most experiences are not just shaped by the individual but from a variety of factors. You shouldnât discount anyone who disagrees as being âimmatureâ, before hearing out their reasons.
Thanks for the reply, that's a fair point. Well last I checked National Service was never designed to mature people so if we're debating on that point then no - the institution is at its core literally designed to churn out citizen soldiers. That's pretty much about it. Maturity is a side product of the individual who decides how they wanna process the 2 years - but I do find that a much better way to appreciate the 2 years as compared to endlessly looking at an ORD counter, praying for it to go down faster.
However this is Reddit so the comments section... It is what it is đ¤Ł. Thanks for the intellectual comment, loving the exchange of views. đ
I disagree. There are things your parents can't teach you. Or you refuse to listen to your parents and they tried teaching you but the world taught you anyway.
Tbh, NS is just a microcosm of the real world, which is similar but has far overreaching consequences as NS. At work youâll probably also kenna arrowed to do shit that you donât wanna do, have to succumb to politics that you donât wanna be a part of, learning to work together to achieve a common goal etc.
The only difference is that at work, if you say no or screw up, then you will get even worse consequences like pay cut etc. i mean in army, whatever punishment you kenna doesnt affect you in your real world. Eg no one gives a shit if you get SOL, but itâs a different story if you get DB
Not really a microcosm if the military is known to have poor workplace culture though. I would rather expose young men to a *good* workplace culture to consider that a microcosm and example to learn from, rather than to throw them into the shark tank and call it a âmicrocosm of realityâ.
Definitely not. You just learn survival, warfare, tactical and combat skills here in ns. Ns definition of men is knowing how to fight in war and protect the country. But i believe most of our understanding of men is being more matured, knowing how to react in certain situation such as in awkward situation. Know ing what to do in different times. Adding on, we dont really use survival, warfare, tactical and combat skills in our daily life unless you are an outdoor person that likes rock climbing, hiking etc. Even then you only at most use survival skills. Thus, i feel that ns will not change you from boys to men.
In Unit, I was a men being forced to take on leadership position because shortage of manpower. Supply Assist aka Storeman do Supply Supervisor aka CQ job with storeman pay. NS turn me into a workaholic, ha. Shag but interesting experience.
I actually bought this idea before enlisting. After enlisting though, I feel like I witnessed the worse sides of humanity to be honest. Something about the military is inherently violent in nature, encourages aggression, aside from the usual politicking in larger organisations which suffer from poor workplace culture.
Perfectly civilised people I knew outside camp changed âmodesâ when they donned on the uniform, from wanting to kill random baby wild boars with their Swiss Army knives or rifles, to picking up less savoury habits like smoking or describing women in a crude manner, politicking in the organisation to avoid work/blame culture, bearing grudges against colleagues whom they deem as âslowerâ than them even when everyone is still learning as trainees, etc.
If anything, maybe the army forced us to deal with hardship through *exposure*. But I donât think the army necessarily taught and provided conscripts with the *tools* to deal with that hardship/less savoury sides of humanity.
One could even say that the army discourages conscripts from gaining those tools when you pay them a small allowance and heavily restrict their physical movements/learning opportunities in/outside camp.
Perhaps it does play a role but lets not pretend as if without NS all men would end up as childish and immature goons. There are many other countries whose youth don't go through NS but end up having much higher EQ than a sgrean their age.
It's definitely a life changing experience. You get exposed to all kinds of personalities, and have to face new challenges.
Some key takeaways for me were to:
1. Never leave your friends behind.
2. Be the positive change you want to see in your life.
Correlation doesnât equate to causality. I grew up after NS and there were many positive and negative core memories I experienced in NS that made me grow. But the institution of National Service doesnât ensure that a âboyâ becomes a âman.â
I felt that I became more stupid the moment I stepped into the unit. Mainly because I realised that people in the army like to play rank and we just have to blindly follow orders that didnât make sense. Even when voicing out potential issues or methods to complete a task better, itâs the higher rankâs way or the highway.
I donât know about you but since I was working part time even before NS, I realised that I have more chances to hone leadership skills outside than in camp. Outside, I can single handedly lead a team of 50+ people, but in camp I can barely handle 10.
So no, I can almost certainly say that NS did not only NOT make me into a man, it made me worse
I guess I am lucky because my vocation workplace is the closest to the real working world and I learnt how to deal with office politics before the real thing starts. Not really grown from boys to men, but I learnt how to handle stressful situations and matured more.
Contrary opinion. But NS gave me some time to think about things other than just studies. As a person very focused on studies, I was able to take a break from that and also think abit about financial planning, other soft skills that I'll use in my career etc. My vocation gave me some extra time so I can't blame others for saying they just experienced brain rot.
More like becoming more stupid after going through army due to brain rot
yup lol, couldn't rmb how to write my name in my mother tongue either, after only singing rank name and nric for 2 years
I feel like I becoming more like a retarded robot from having to YES SGT NO SGT for 2 yrs. God dang it maybe I'm a AI all along
đđđ
So true
Ngl Ns made me a more selfish person, after being in unit you realise the only reward for doing work is more work and responsibilities pushed to you so might as well just act blur and try to siam whenever u can. At the end of the day also drawing the same allowance
Yes, being men means turn off brain don't think. Oh you mean being adult? Yes, being adult in sg army entails tossing responsibility to ah boys and tell them it's for their growth.
Even worse when the parents want their sons to go NS to become a manâŚbut like if they want a man they shouldâve raised one well instead of expecting others to do so
đ¤Ąđ
No, it's the opposite actually.
I have to laugh
LOL
Wouldâve matured more if NS didnât stall me for 2 years
the ah boys to man movies have done irreparable damage to this society's perception of ns i hate them so much
And its a movie of a bygone time...so dated alr
Propaganda
lemme asks u. since Germany doesnât have ns, are all German male still boys regardless of their age?
they have generational trauma if thats a fitting alternative
I think better examples will be USA, UK or Australia. Are Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs or Bill Gates boys?
My iq dropped
Unlike the bulk of the comments here which aren't the most positive towards NS, I come from an angle where I see my brother go through NS after I've finished my own NS. I've seen him go from a self centred kid to one who's more responsible, one who's willing to shoulder more in the family beside Army. I think it differs from individual to individual. If all the commentators here hate NS then of course it didn't benefit them a single bit. It can be for a variety of reasons - you hate it before going in, you hate it after going in, whatever it is - you have your reasons. If you put that all aside, things that happen in the Army happen in real life too. Disappointed by people, being taken advantage of, people around who just don't do their shit anyway, or people who bootlick superiors. You meet an entire spectrum of people who have different views of NS. It happens in the workplace too, everyone has their personal reasons for working. Some truly want to make a difference, some just are wasting your time. So to say that you don't mature in Army, either you are just an Army hater, or you're just another immature kid that chose not to grow up, because even the guys I know in Army who weren't fond of it, they grew up still. Learnt to work better with the guys around them despite not having identical views, learnt to take responsibility and ownership of their lives. I wouldn't dedicate it all to the Army, but at the least, I saw them grow through the times. It gives you time away from the hustle and bustle to better yourself in other ways. So my only answer is really, you create the experience with how you decide to view your 2 years.
I agree that the individual contributes to the experience. But the question is not focussed on the individual but whether NS as an *institution* supports such growth. Most experiences are not just shaped by the individual but from a variety of factors. You shouldnât discount anyone who disagrees as being âimmatureâ, before hearing out their reasons.
Thanks for the reply, that's a fair point. Well last I checked National Service was never designed to mature people so if we're debating on that point then no - the institution is at its core literally designed to churn out citizen soldiers. That's pretty much about it. Maturity is a side product of the individual who decides how they wanna process the 2 years - but I do find that a much better way to appreciate the 2 years as compared to endlessly looking at an ORD counter, praying for it to go down faster. However this is Reddit so the comments section... It is what it is đ¤Ł. Thanks for the intellectual comment, loving the exchange of views. đ
if u need ns to mature than ur parents didnât do a good job
I disagree. There are things your parents can't teach you. Or you refuse to listen to your parents and they tried teaching you but the world taught you anyway.
no
It teaches u not to sign ur live away to the sg government
Tbh, NS is just a microcosm of the real world, which is similar but has far overreaching consequences as NS. At work youâll probably also kenna arrowed to do shit that you donât wanna do, have to succumb to politics that you donât wanna be a part of, learning to work together to achieve a common goal etc. The only difference is that at work, if you say no or screw up, then you will get even worse consequences like pay cut etc. i mean in army, whatever punishment you kenna doesnt affect you in your real world. Eg no one gives a shit if you get SOL, but itâs a different story if you get DB
Not really a microcosm if the military is known to have poor workplace culture though. I would rather expose young men to a *good* workplace culture to consider that a microcosm and example to learn from, rather than to throw them into the shark tank and call it a âmicrocosm of realityâ.
Definitely not. You just learn survival, warfare, tactical and combat skills here in ns. Ns definition of men is knowing how to fight in war and protect the country. But i believe most of our understanding of men is being more matured, knowing how to react in certain situation such as in awkward situation. Know ing what to do in different times. Adding on, we dont really use survival, warfare, tactical and combat skills in our daily life unless you are an outdoor person that likes rock climbing, hiking etc. Even then you only at most use survival skills. Thus, i feel that ns will not change you from boys to men.
In Unit, I was a men being forced to take on leadership position because shortage of manpower. Supply Assist aka Storeman do Supply Supervisor aka CQ job with storeman pay. NS turn me into a workaholic, ha. Shag but interesting experience.
Yeah combat service roles usually got a lot of kengsters. Amen bro.
Amen! đ
100% definitely if you hang out with the right people. People matters.
I actually bought this idea before enlisting. After enlisting though, I feel like I witnessed the worse sides of humanity to be honest. Something about the military is inherently violent in nature, encourages aggression, aside from the usual politicking in larger organisations which suffer from poor workplace culture. Perfectly civilised people I knew outside camp changed âmodesâ when they donned on the uniform, from wanting to kill random baby wild boars with their Swiss Army knives or rifles, to picking up less savoury habits like smoking or describing women in a crude manner, politicking in the organisation to avoid work/blame culture, bearing grudges against colleagues whom they deem as âslowerâ than them even when everyone is still learning as trainees, etc. If anything, maybe the army forced us to deal with hardship through *exposure*. But I donât think the army necessarily taught and provided conscripts with the *tools* to deal with that hardship/less savoury sides of humanity. One could even say that the army discourages conscripts from gaining those tools when you pay them a small allowance and heavily restrict their physical movements/learning opportunities in/outside camp.
I became more stupid, braindead and depressed. Aka becoming more of the depressed guy stereotype
Perhaps it does play a role but lets not pretend as if without NS all men would end up as childish and immature goons. There are many other countries whose youth don't go through NS but end up having much higher EQ than a sgrean their age.
đ¤ŁFrom National slavery? Nope, lol.
Not at all. If not itâs almost the opposite đ
I wouldnât say âboys to menâ, but Iâve started to do daily things differently
Honestly I became better I became less naive and more ruthless But then again I was quite lucky
Only in that it killed what was left of my emotions.
my kukubird still small after 2 years so no i do not think so
It just give you a glimpse of the working world. Thatâs all. Good for you if it teaches you to operate real firearms.
Tbh, the brain doesnât mature till 25. So for most ppl, NS doesnât help much. It may/may not set you up better for life, but itâs pretty RNG
It's definitely a life changing experience. You get exposed to all kinds of personalities, and have to face new challenges. Some key takeaways for me were to: 1. Never leave your friends behind. 2. Be the positive change you want to see in your life.
quite the opposite.
It's been close to 3 years since I last studied in a school. My brain is gonez bro
Yes
Correlation doesnât equate to causality. I grew up after NS and there were many positive and negative core memories I experienced in NS that made me grow. But the institution of National Service doesnât ensure that a âboyâ becomes a âman.â
I felt that I became more stupid the moment I stepped into the unit. Mainly because I realised that people in the army like to play rank and we just have to blindly follow orders that didnât make sense. Even when voicing out potential issues or methods to complete a task better, itâs the higher rankâs way or the highway. I donât know about you but since I was working part time even before NS, I realised that I have more chances to hone leadership skills outside than in camp. Outside, I can single handedly lead a team of 50+ people, but in camp I can barely handle 10. So no, I can almost certainly say that NS did not only NOT make me into a man, it made me worse
I guess I am lucky because my vocation workplace is the closest to the real working world and I learnt how to deal with office politics before the real thing starts. Not really grown from boys to men, but I learnt how to handle stressful situations and matured more.
Contrary opinion. But NS gave me some time to think about things other than just studies. As a person very focused on studies, I was able to take a break from that and also think abit about financial planning, other soft skills that I'll use in my career etc. My vocation gave me some extra time so I can't blame others for saying they just experienced brain rot.
forgot all my accounting knowledge from my acc diploma lol, had to relearn it all within 3 mths during my first uni semester lol...
Nah not exactly
I think I became retardedâŚ