Parents and Cleanliness

Sometimes I realize we tend to overestimate our parents. We see them as people who protect, provide, and look after the needs of the family and we overlook their emotional side. Sure, once in a while we get a peek at this side, but it's ever so rarely, and once it's gone we resume to our normal mindset.

We see our parents as heroes (or villians, depending) that don't really have any emotions, and sometimes that frustrates everybody. We don't see the loneliness when we're out having fun while our mothers stay home alone and cook and clean. We don't see the sacrifice when we're living the luxuries while our fathers are out working, saving and planning to give us a comfortable life.

And when they tell us to do something or restrict us from doing something else, sometimes we feel that it's an infringement on a certain right that is entitled to us by society; since everyone else can do it, why can't I? I, for one, can't really comment much on it because I've been given a lot of freedom, and a lot of responsibilities as well. And somehow I find myself sympathizing more with my parents and what they've done for me. Perhaps what I had was a perfect balance of freedom and control, responsibilities and provision.

Which brings me to the point of the cleanliness issue in my bunk.

It really amuses me to see the level of ignorance of the people around me. I'm not boasting or saying that I'm better than everyone else. But I owe a lot of who I am today to my parents and the environment I was brought up in. Sad to say, not everyone shares my sentiments.

The whole point of doing area cleaning is to maintain the order, cleanliness and the hygiene level of our living quarters at a livable standard. Sixteen people living together, if there was no enforcement of such stringent expectations the bunk would be almost like a landfill. Yet some people do not understand this very simple reasoning. Instead they treat our stand-by-area sessions as a punishment session.

They tell everybody that if the sergeants wanted to "pump" us, they could easily do so by searching every miniscule detail around the room and would definitely be able to dig out something to make us knock it down. Approaching the task with this mentality defeats the whole purpose of cleaning the area in the first place. Instead of putting at top priority the cleanliness of our bunk, what they focus on is how NOT to make a mistake that we won't do punishments. They then make a huge fuss over tiny matters like arrangement of our cupboards, blowing some things that don't matter out of proportion. But overlook the important things like KEEPING THE BUNK CLEAN.

I can't emphasize this enough. I always go into a cleaning job with one objective. To make the place a more hygienic place to live in. Call me a clean freak, but I don't like living in shit. But what really makes me want to laugh was that they actually suggested putting the duffel bags, which were under the beds for one whole month collecting dust, onto the beds just so that they could clean the bottom of the beds. The rationale was that if you put it on the floor then you can't sweep that area. Of course that would make sense, IF the bags weren't laced with huge clumps of dust bunnies.

But when I pointed that out, I was slapped in my face with the standard "this is the army, you have to get used to it" reply. I was rendered speechless. Just to clean under the beds, you dirty your own bed that you're going to sleep on? And you say that is hygienic? And even worse is that some of these people refuse to help to clean because they're too lazy and would rather do 50 to a 100 push-ups than to clean?

But enough ranting about stupid people. It seems that it can be really challenging to live around ignorance twenty-four hours a day, five days a week. It's been a month already and I finally realized that it's been a waste of my effort trying to help them. It's exactly like casting pearls to swine. I never understood the severity of that saying until now. I guess there's no point speaking if no one is willing to listen. The world is full of self-centered, self-worshipping people. No matter what I say, everyone only cares about themselves. Generosity is considered weakness and everyone is quick to exploit kindness. But nonetheless, I can only keep doing what I think is right, keep the faith, and hope my actions cut through the hearts of these egoistic, puffed up people.

I pray that God will help me keep the faith and persevere through this remaining 3 months of PTP/BMT. Paraphrasing from something I learnt a long time ago, but only realize now:

"Rebuke a fool and you will only incur his wrath. Rebuke a wise man and he will be even wiser yet."

I guess I shouldn't waste my breath rebuking fools, lest I incur the wrath of the world.