When you think of Boy Scouts, what comes to mind? Discussions about the inclusion of gay leaders? Ambivalent childhood experiences? And how about Girl Scouts? Cookies? An idyllic of a fresh-faced girl in a green outfit dripping with eagerness and sincerity?
When I think about Scouts, I think about values, and how they’re seen in today’s world. “Timeless Values” is a phrase written on a recent Boy Scout Logo and values are at the forefront of what Scouts are about. These are encapsulated for Boy Scouts in a Scout Oath, a Scout Motto ("Be prepared"), a Scout Slogan ("Do a good turn daily"), and even a Scout Law.
Are values a good thing? I think most would say they are, but many moderns might question the timeless part, the part where “tried and true” values and beliefs are handed down “blindly” from generation to generation. Isn’t teaching historic values to youth a way to usurp their freedom, a way to keep them from deciding for themselves what is right and wrong? Isn’t that why “value free education” has become a staple of our school systems?
Indeed in the present zeitgeist, Scouts and all their mottos and slogans can be seen anachronistically, a quaint holdover from the past. Kudos can be given for their hard work and discipline, but all this lofty language just ladens these poor kids with time bound prejudices and unrealistic expectations. And what about all the guilt they feel for not measuring up?
I was a Boy Scout once and not a very good one, inconsistent in going to meetings and quitting after about a year and a half. It’s been about 50 years so my memories are hazy, but something remained clear--I had/have memorized the Scout Law. When I now write that a Boy Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent, I didn’t cut and paste this from the internet--it has stayed with me.
Why? Certainly rote memorization is involved, but there also seems to be something about these attributes that caused me to internalize them. For possible understanding, I’ve decided to take a look at this defining dozen:
Trustworthy
To be worthy of trust, a high calling indeed. Most people have trouble trusting today, and if you’re the person I can lay down my defenses with, you’re worth your weight in gold.
Loyal
I’m in--come what may. Not a fairweather friend, not a Johnny come-lately; I am there for you now and will be there for you in the future.
Helpful
What can I do for you? Help you move, babysit your kids, hear your story? We all need help; we all need helpers.
Friendly
More than niceness, but that too. I’m bringing the care and calm and consistency of a friend to our interaction and want you to benefit from it.
Courteous
Defined as being “polite, respectful and considerate in manner.” All people, all ages, all backgrounds, get treated like the images of God they are.
Kind
A soft word that has a strength about it. Often associated with the word benevolence, a disposition to do good.
Obedient
An eyes wide open doing what is asked or needed without hesitation.
Cheerful
Upbeat and beyond. Bringing a mood to any interaction which adds, not subtracts.
Thrifty
Thriftiness is saying I’ll get the most out of the least. We’re not talking miserly and cheap; we’re talking being a good steward of what we have.
Brave
Courage in the midst of fear. I may be scared, I may be disheartened, but I’ll still step up to the plate.
Clean
Next to Godliness or not, cleanliness has a baptismal quality to it, to be washed anew. To be clean we need to remove the dirt, literally and figuratively, to get to what’s there.
Reverent
To revere something bigger than ourselves. I bring an attitude of humility and sincerity to my life and relationships when I keep a perspective of always looking up.
Hmmm--pretty cool. Certainly these are my takes on these virtues, but I think they are staying with the spirit of the Scouts that embraced them.
Do the Scouts and their leaders consistently live up to all these lofty principles? I imagine not. But the fact that they sometimes miss the mark calls to mind G. K. Chesterton’s famous line about Christianity: It “hasn’t been tried and found wanting: it has been found difficult and left untried.” At least the Scouts are giving it a shot, involved in an organization that believes in these principles, showcases them, and in essence is them.
Do “timeless values” need to be redefined to each generation? Of course they do. Modern principles of empowerment and cross-cultural awareness can and should be a part of the Scouts of today. And progress is indeed being made: a look at a recent Girl Scout website shows fresh-faced girls in green outfits who kick butt.
But working at redefining timeless values seems to me a better idea than always thinking we need to reinvent them. Recently 12 year old Boy Scout Thomas McNally saved his choking mother’s life in Long Island, New York soon after getting a merit badge for learning the Heimlich Manuever. He was quoted as saying: “I’m just doing what you’re supposed to do.” I imagine he got his “supposed to” along with his Heimlich from the Scouts, and not only his mom is blessed by this attitude.
When I think about Scouts, I think about values, and how they’re seen in today’s world. “Timeless Values” is a phrase written on a recent Boy Scout Logo and values are at the forefront of what Scouts are about. These are encapsulated for Boy Scouts in a Scout Oath, a Scout Motto ("Be prepared"), a Scout Slogan ("Do a good turn daily"), and even a Scout Law.
Are values a good thing? I think most would say they are, but many moderns might question the timeless part, the part where “tried and true” values and beliefs are handed down “blindly” from generation to generation. Isn’t teaching historic values to youth a way to usurp their freedom, a way to keep them from deciding for themselves what is right and wrong? Isn’t that why “value free education” has become a staple of our school systems?
Indeed in the present zeitgeist, Scouts and all their mottos and slogans can be seen anachronistically, a quaint holdover from the past. Kudos can be given for their hard work and discipline, but all this lofty language just ladens these poor kids with time bound prejudices and unrealistic expectations. And what about all the guilt they feel for not measuring up?
I was a Boy Scout once and not a very good one, inconsistent in going to meetings and quitting after about a year and a half. It’s been about 50 years so my memories are hazy, but something remained clear--I had/have memorized the Scout Law. When I now write that a Boy Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent, I didn’t cut and paste this from the internet--it has stayed with me.
Why? Certainly rote memorization is involved, but there also seems to be something about these attributes that caused me to internalize them. For possible understanding, I’ve decided to take a look at this defining dozen:
Trustworthy
To be worthy of trust, a high calling indeed. Most people have trouble trusting today, and if you’re the person I can lay down my defenses with, you’re worth your weight in gold.
Loyal
I’m in--come what may. Not a fairweather friend, not a Johnny come-lately; I am there for you now and will be there for you in the future.
Helpful
What can I do for you? Help you move, babysit your kids, hear your story? We all need help; we all need helpers.
Friendly
More than niceness, but that too. I’m bringing the care and calm and consistency of a friend to our interaction and want you to benefit from it.
Courteous
Defined as being “polite, respectful and considerate in manner.” All people, all ages, all backgrounds, get treated like the images of God they are.
Kind
A soft word that has a strength about it. Often associated with the word benevolence, a disposition to do good.
Obedient
An eyes wide open doing what is asked or needed without hesitation.
Cheerful
Upbeat and beyond. Bringing a mood to any interaction which adds, not subtracts.
Thrifty
Thriftiness is saying I’ll get the most out of the least. We’re not talking miserly and cheap; we’re talking being a good steward of what we have.
Brave
Courage in the midst of fear. I may be scared, I may be disheartened, but I’ll still step up to the plate.
Clean
Next to Godliness or not, cleanliness has a baptismal quality to it, to be washed anew. To be clean we need to remove the dirt, literally and figuratively, to get to what’s there.
Reverent
To revere something bigger than ourselves. I bring an attitude of humility and sincerity to my life and relationships when I keep a perspective of always looking up.
Hmmm--pretty cool. Certainly these are my takes on these virtues, but I think they are staying with the spirit of the Scouts that embraced them.
Do the Scouts and their leaders consistently live up to all these lofty principles? I imagine not. But the fact that they sometimes miss the mark calls to mind G. K. Chesterton’s famous line about Christianity: It “hasn’t been tried and found wanting: it has been found difficult and left untried.” At least the Scouts are giving it a shot, involved in an organization that believes in these principles, showcases them, and in essence is them.
Do “timeless values” need to be redefined to each generation? Of course they do. Modern principles of empowerment and cross-cultural awareness can and should be a part of the Scouts of today. And progress is indeed being made: a look at a recent Girl Scout website shows fresh-faced girls in green outfits who kick butt.
But working at redefining timeless values seems to me a better idea than always thinking we need to reinvent them. Recently 12 year old Boy Scout Thomas McNally saved his choking mother’s life in Long Island, New York soon after getting a merit badge for learning the Heimlich Manuever. He was quoted as saying: “I’m just doing what you’re supposed to do.” I imagine he got his “supposed to” along with his Heimlich from the Scouts, and not only his mom is blessed by this attitude.
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