Perspective

 I got to admit, although I was a pretty lousy soldier during my national service period, I’ve always had a fascination for elite forces. Call it a by product of growing up in the UK, amongst friends who were related to senior military personnel, but I grew up on stories of what guys in the Special Air Services (SAS) and Special Boat Services (SBS) could do. Prior to joining Churcher’s, I remember being good friends with a young lady who was not only stunning (She remains the definition of an English Rose – and pretty enough for any normal heterosexual man to know that feelings would never be purely platonic) but she was also cool based on the fact that her brother had joined the Royal Marines as an officer.

Going through basic military training in Singapore made me respect the special forces in the world even more. It was this simple – I found training in Singapore hard and realized that the training I was going through was mere child’s play compared to what the chaps in the Royal Marines, Navy Seals etc were going through.

So, although it’s been years since I’ve been into anything remotely military, I retain the highest respect for professional soldiers. I know two American guys that I clicked with instantly because, well one had a spell in the US navy and the other was a sergeant-major in the Green Berets. Whatever else these guys may have done, these are the type of experiences I look up to because, well, I can only go through what they went through in my wildest of fantasies.

Looking at the world’s special forces has become something similar to a football league. YouTube is wonderful for this sort of thing. I got to confess that I do watch such videos.

One of the sets of videos that I enjoy watching is that of a retired US Marine who volgs under the name of Jameson Travels. Mr. Jameson (Assuming this is his name) provides commentary on the various elite forces of the world. Here is an example of what he did for the Gurkhas who have to go through an exceedingly tough selection process to get into the British Army:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLd9r-HydB8

Think of his videos as “professional” commentary or the type of qualified opinion that many of us simply don’t have because, well, its something we’ll never go through unless playing video games.

One the more interesting videos that he commented on was on a comparative of the elite forces of the world. The video can be seen at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gARyrQgrpzQ

 

In this video, Mr. Jameson provides what seems to be lacking in many commentaries about life – perspective. One of his main observations is the fact that “ALL” special forces go through an exceedingly rigorous selection process and “ALL” special forces go through tough training and are generally very well equipped. Mr. Jameson argues that the only real difference is operational readiness or how many operations has a particular force been through.

This struck me because one of the major issues in Singapore (and pretty much elsewhere) is the question of “employability” and how education prepares one for employment or promotion. On the ground level, you have too many people complaining about how they’re losing out to people with what they perceive to be “fake” or “inferior” degrees. On the higher levels, particularly in government, you have too many people getting top jobs based on the fact that they have “wonderful” degrees and experience of shifting through bureaucracy.

The perspective that we need to understand is the fact that just as all special forces go through tough training – everyone has a degree. We rush to pay graduates more than non-graduates at starting level, yet we fail to take into account that a degree is merely a piece of paper.  We have to ask ourselves, what does an employee, particularly if you’re talking about high levels ones bring to the table other than their paper qualifications. Do they have experiences, skills or contacts that would add to the bottom line? Do they have a “hungry” attitude that will make them an asset with a bit of coaching? Having a degree is like going through tough training – you need to go through it but it doesn’t make you special.

The second point that struck me was the fact that Mr. Jameson mentioned that in the modern context most of the special forces have gone though, have always been against inferior forces. One of the examples that comes to mind is the SAS rescuing five British soldiers who were captured by a rebel group known as the Freetown Boys in Sierra Leonne in 2000. The operation was a brilliant success for the SAS. However, as Mr. Jameson stated, this was not a contest of equals. The SAS are highly trained and well-armed, the Freetown Boys were not. With all due respect to the SAS, this has been the nature of opponents that Special Forces have faced in the majority of special forces operations and Mr. Jameson states that the “real” test happens in a situation similar to World War II when both sides were fairly evenly matched in terms of training and equipment.

 

These guys versus – copyright – India Times  

 

These guys – was the result ever in any doubt?

Without taking anything away from the Special Forces, we have to understand that the real test of skill comes from an opponent who is equally matched. Competition is something designed to make you stronger and shaper.

Sure, one should generally try to avoid conflicts and if one has to get involved in a conflict, one should always do ones best to ensure one has every advantage. I think of the litigation funders I’ve met who do their best to ensure they back a “sure win.”

However, whilst we may try to ensure we have every advantage in our favour when going into a fight, we also need to remember that beating up our inferiors does not make us great. I think of Singapore elections as the best example of this. Whilst Singapore’s government does have a “democratic” mandate in as much as it wins elections, the truth remains – the ruling party is not competing against anyone who could be considered equal. Our opposition parties only enter elections on the premise of having more opposition rathe than on trying to be the government. If you look at it carefully, that does take away the “moral” authority that the government has in its claim that it “won” the election and therefore has the right to ram through legislation without consultation with the rest of the legislature. Its like being a gorilla that squashed a couple of ants and claiming to be world boxing champion. 

Judgement is always necessary in dealing with situations and until one is very sure, one needs to be put things into perspective before behaving like a steamroller on steroids – the results can be messy even for the steamroller.