Most of you dreamed of escaping from the shackles that restricted your freedom when you entered a university. There are many obligations, however, that you must carry out. For men, there is one thing that you cannot avoid: the army. Most men feel uneasy and worry about the fact that they must go to the army. Thus, ST looks into the sequential psychology of men who are about to go to the army.

     I felt very uneasy and was afraid of the life in the army a few days before I was to enter the army. I felt anxious mostly because I was afraid that I would not be able to keep my friendships. Life in the army would not let me have as many contacts with them as I used to have. Such worries made me really uneasy, and I once thought that the severance of my contacts with my friends will continue for good. Right before the enlisting day, however, I became very calm, maybe because I had resigned myself to my fate. Finally, I didn’t have anything special to ask about entering the army because it was mandatory for every South Korean male adult. I wanted to improve people’s attitudes, towards soldiers. There was always someone who regarded soldiers as potential criminals. If someone regarded me as one, I would feel sad.

 

   
     I’m a private, so all chores, such as sweeping, are assigned to me, but I was assigned to a relatively comfortable unit. Especially, my seniors are very kind, so it’s actually much better than I thought. When I was in the recruit training center, I was not allowed to have any contact with my parents and friends. I felt very unstable at that time. Now, however, I can already have contact with my parents and friends to a certain degree, through SNSs like Facebook. Thus, I can somewhat ease off my anxiety. If I were allowed to make a wish now, it would be the reduction of my service term. I still have lots of days of separation from my social life, and I so miss my life in the university.

     I think what I’m most anxious about in relation to it is that it will cut off my friendship with my friends, which is inevitable. Although I could have contacts with my friends through SNSs, I felt that my friendship with them will be cut off in time. This is every soldier’s worry. When I talked with the other soldiers in my unit, all of them were agonized about that, so I thought that agonizing about that is natural. I then felt liberated because my exaggerated anxieties about my friendships had vanished. Now, I have been discharged and am starting anew, so I look forward to forming new friendships. If I have a wish about the army now, it is for it to return to its past state. Life in the army was more comfortable then as the soldiers’human rights were respected. The purpose of the army is to preserve the power and protect the existence of a nation, but I think that the men in today’s army are forgetting their duty to respect the soldiers’ human rights. Therefore, I want to strengthen the conservatism of the army.

      Now, look into the sequential psychology of the men entering the army. It’s obvious that entering the army is tough and stressful but, as the famous line goes, “If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it!” ST wants all of you who will go to the army to come back healthy and vibrant, with beautiful memories of your life in the army. To every soldier in South Korea: Cheer up!