Counter-culture

deciding to reflect upon my army experience so far...
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after talking fair bit about how we get exposed to a culture we don’t feel comfortable in and stuff like that
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in a sense of being placed in a palce of godless culture

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I remember day one.... in the bunks of Leopard coy of BMTC sch 2
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while we introduced ourselves to each other... largely JC students of different backgrounds
we still retained the sense of identity as such... JC students, polite conversations
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till we got introduced to 3SG LKY (no it’s not Lee Kuan Yew, leopard people would know)
and the warren officers
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very soon we realised what army culture was about
a culture opposed to the very moral values the christian faith believes in
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I need not elaborate about the numerous vulgarities and lewd jokes, references, and posters splattered around the Plt office
but pretty soon, most of us began to lose out identity as polite JC students
and became assimilated into the whole culture of everything.
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which brings us back to an important point I guess
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As christians, we are told to be salt and light of the earth... (matt 5:13-16)
and we cannot hide our light (stand aside and try to blend in)
or lose out saltiness (assimilate into worldly culture)
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which is the who danger of many of us immersed in various places with cultures opposed to our values
we end up sacrificing our values for the sake of gaining acceptance
and end up being too comfortable in a godless culture
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in the same way Lot was comfortable in the culture of the Sodomites and choose to live among them
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but then again it doesn’t mean we end up isolating ourselves from the rest... a mistake I made over the past 2 months while in Jurong camp.
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it is possible, as I learnt in sembawang
and after Sean spoke to me about it
to be able to work with and even create friendships with people even in a godless culture, without sacrificing our own moral values
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simply as Jesus put it
‘In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven’
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an idea of putting in your best in everything
showing a good testimony, so that we may make a difference in a different culture.
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an idea of being for people when they need it
just like how Jesus would reach out to a world of sin and depravity
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