Conscription & Sovereignty

I was conscripted in Singapore before, my branch of service was the Army, and I was taught that national service is a privilege. I have always told myself that I would be willing to die for my country defending its sovereignty, so far, I haven't retreated from my commitment to my nation.

The Gautama Buddha was previously trained to be a member of the Warrior class, He rode horses and mastered archery and was an outstanding warrior. It so happened that He found spirituality to be His calling, so He renounced it all including His clan. The good news is also the bad news, because His liberation from samsara also meant that He no longer held up a weapon to defend His clan, and when invaders attacked the Sakya clan, the Buddha tried to stop the invaders but to no avail. His clan was ultimately massacred.

I often contemplated His decision, in Buddhism there's apparently no right and wrong, just causes and effects. Because the Buddha preached non-violence, He laid down His arms and led His sangha towards peaceful living. However, His renunciation also meant that there were not enough male adults left to defend His Sakya clan, leading to their annihilation. It could be that if He decided against His initial decision and chose to fight the invaders, maybe He might have saved His clan. Yet, the truth is that He didn't, and the rest is history.

For me, I decided that I would respond to my motherland's call to defend my nation from external and internal threats, and I responded. I am not going to judge whether is this is a right or wrong decision, but I do remember that there are certain religious groups in Singapore such as the Jeehovah Witnesses who are bent against conscription and holding a rifle. They were ostracised and condemned by the country. I picked up my then M16 rifle, trained how to shoot and threw grenades, and I fulfilled my duty as a rifleman. It didn't make me a better person, but ultimately, I have no regrets having served my obligations to the military. It was a good experience.

May peace and common sense prevail in this world.