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.
))