Bless the weekend
Pictures from the enclave of San Marino, at 750m above sea.
I have now been in Italy for two weeks and so far I’ve had two days off from work. As soon as Friday came to an end, I rolled my suitcase through the picturesque cobble street city and checked in to a comfortable hotel on the beach.
It was just what I needed: A relaxing break from all it means to live and work behind closed gates.
It must be difficult to understand, I’m sure, what it means to be a military on mission and the pressures it puts on an individual. I believe that conforming to the military world during a mission, is even more challenging if you’re a civilian, with a civilian background. I can’t compare going to Italy with Afghanistan or Congo, obviously, but I’ve had a taste of what it means to give up your freedom, personal choice and sense of belonging.
As a civilian, your identity hasn’t been shaped by the military from an early age, or “sensitive period”, during which certain experiences from the army will make you develop into a soldier. So, no matter how hard the military tries to make a civilian conform to the military world, the critical period has long expired for him or her to ever identify as a soldier – unless the person is highly motivated to join the army of course.
But in that case, wouldn’t they do just that, instead of taking on a civilian role?
The army makes no exceptions for a civilian specialist, and behind the gates of the regiment you’re a soldier like everyone else – although your work is very different.
According to a fellow NATO colleague’s observations here in Italy: Journalists is the group of civilians that has the hardest time adapting to the army. A journalist is more individualistic than group-oriented, in their thinking. They find the uniform way of behaving and dressing, miles away from their usual way of life and expression. Presumably journalists also find it hard to comply with the hierarchical system the military promotes.
Once you put on your uniform you loose your normal sense of freedom and individual choice – you now belong to a group. For the group to function as a unit, you need to act and think as a group and only take directions from one person, someone with a higher rank, or responsibility greater than your own. Otherwise, nothing in the army would work!
Think about it… Even as civilians we have all conformed to our culture or work place one way or another. Otherwise, we’d be standing outside of society. We wouldn’t fit it – like poor artists, crazy people, or misunderstood geniuses?
Throughout history, there is proof of humans going to great lengths to fit in.
Belonging to the military is a new world for any civilian to try and adapt to. And living and working behind walls cut off from the rest of society, with guarded gates, rules and unified clothing. It can cause nothing but an imprisoned feeling. No matter where in the world you are.
