the national service training program has finally started. i'm not quite sure how the program's going to be conducted and how effective it's going to be in pursuing its objectives. i've been through a couple of programs such as this one, but for shorter periods of time (like a week instead of 3 months).
with the earlier camps, the experience was never pleasant. it was pure torture. you physically and mentally had to surrender yourself to the instructors and was abused as they saw fit. most of the time, it's like they were trying to programme you into individuals they wanted you to be for some purpose they had in reserve for you. at the end of the program, you'd be ready to say yes to whatever they wanted you to do and be ready to believe whatever they had to say.
the more recent camps that i attended, the experiences were very much different. they were more focused on building your self-esteem and your individual values, and how these would best benefit the society as a whole. instead of downplaying the individuals and imposing a standardized values onto us, they made us see what the society is composed of and how to respect others. but still, they would try to show you only what they wanted you to see. in short if they wanted you to believe that everyone in the country was living together harmoniously without any conflicts, then you'd see it that way.
i was informed by one of the instructors i used to know, that the change made was a deliberate effort from the government part. it's definitely interesting to see how their policy has evolved in terms of how to best mold the citizens. the approach changes as the country's interest changes. before, it was useful to segregate the different groups of the society. now, it's useful to bring them together.