Learning and Transformation

Yemenat

Ahmed Saif Hashed

The structured movement during the first year was intense, demanding significant effort and hardship, especially during the period of renewal. More time was allocated to it in the class schedule than to crucial subjects like tactics or live fire training.

Throughout that first year, I found no respite; my spirit was not at ease with it. Moreover, I felt no shared chemistry or harmony with my instructors, “Al-Baraqani” and “Al-Maqat,” despite the latter’s relative softness and kindness compared to the former.

I often stumbled in my performance of the structured movement, making minor mistakes that led to considerable embarrassment in front of my peers. Deep down, I found myself resenting it, belittling its importance, and mocking it, comparing it unfavorably to other endeavors. I would tell myself:

“The study of subjects should focus on shaping us into formidable fighters and exceptional leaders, not turning us into mere showmen of no practical value in the fields of war and combat. I do not appreciate it; in fact, I loathe it and curse it with every ounce of disdain I possess.”

This is how I would speak to myself, stoking my animosity towards it. However, nearly a year later, everything changed; it began to stir in me a sense of joy and a nostalgic melody. As soon as I heard the sound of military music, I found myself in tune with it, flowing towards it like water, almost unconsciously. The drumbeats resonated within me, urging my feet to strike the ground powerfully in rhythm with its tempo.

* * *

In the military college, I learned leadership, where each student was required to lead their squad for 24 hours each time their turn came around within twenty-one days. Initially, this role seemed daunting; however, once I broke through