I remember while I was in hospital, there was this big sized
chinese recruit, he has a lot to say, one thing is when he knows
that i am a sergeant, he kept addressing me as sergeant, I could
even sit on his bed...lie on his bed.
After he was discharged, this time another big sized indian came
in, we introduced ourselves, we even shook hands. He too was in
stress from his training. After some time, he found that he had
alot to talk about especially to the patient besides me, so he came
over to sit on my bed.
Maybe its because I felt that he and I werent close enough so i
didnt like it when he sat on my bed as if its public property. I
wanted to tell him not to sit on my bed,, but I showed him the rank
on my uniform instead, and politely gestured him to move away, he
then brought a chair and sat on it, continuing his chat.
Are there any absolute rules on territory? Are these rules flexible
and ingrained into our culture? Do people have access to something
because they thought they are already familiar with it, or is it
because cohabiting requires that each of us give up a part of our
territorial claim? I ask these questions because if i know better,
I can handle situations well enough..Maybe its because I outrank
HIM, so I have the right to tell him to do things, just like I was
outranked by my instructors in BMT(but that was their role) if I am
a sergeant, does that give me the right to use the resources of
those of a lower rank? I have to use common sense. Maybe rank is
just an excuse for something else, and that each of us have our own
preferences and sometimes, because we have the luxury to have an
option, we chose to use this option of voicing out our
preferences..(it is a luxury because in times of dire need eg
war,famine, we have little choice).
Perhaps I should be apologetic to HIM who sat on my wardbed,
perhaps I should have tolerated that, and it would have made me a
better person?
Later that evening, the patient's parents came to visit him, they
brought gifts of food and drinks for their son, and because of
their amount, they wanted to have them shared among the patients in
the ward.
I took a drink from their gifts: orange juice and I regretted it, I
ask the uncle if i can pay for the drink, he said no, the auntie
said she treated us all like her own children. When the parents
left, the ward patients help themselves with the biscuits,,,
the next day I had a stomach upset, and I told myself never to eat
any of the food or drink again.
