Everything I Need to Know, I Learned in Boy Scouts (Part 1)
Variations of the original title, “Everything I Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten,” are everywhere. A quick google search will confirm it. But, when I examine my own childhood, Boy Scouts had a much greater influence on my formation as an adult than my kindergarten classroom. No offense is intended towards my Kindergarten Teacher, but around 10 years old, I physically walked across a bridge in an Arrow of Light Ceremony. Symbolically, I walked from Cub Scouts into Boy Scouts. Developmentally, I left my childhood and my formation as a man commenced with earnest . . . .
After your first steps on the other side of this bridge, the adult leaders of the Scout Troop ask the new Boy Scout to take the Scout Oath.
On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my Country. To help other people at all times. To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.
Although this Oath has been the subject of more than one controversy, I think it provides a pretty good guideline for Boys. (On a side not, I think it would also provide a good guide for girls, but the sexual and gender-politics of having both genders in the same group would have quite a few unwanted consequences. I will flush those ideas in another article.)
It is an Oath, and as it is worded, is inextricably bound with honor. I like the consequences of failing to uphold it having intangible damage to your honor. The other edge of that sword is that if you maintain your Oath, it is honorable.
The first tangible todos in this oath are related to a boy’s duty to God and Country. The usage of the word “duty is interesting. It implies that these things are not optional–they are requirements. In my opinion, this is a healthy way to promote both nationalism and spirituality.
I am aware of the debate about having those words stricken because it was not sensitive to the beliefs of an Athiest. My Troop was bound to a church, and we worshiped a “God”–as opposed to one of the other manifestations of it. That language was very appropriate for our Troop. If there was a predominant religion of another Troop that did not coincide with that label and they wanted to substitute a different word, I think the spirit would remain intact. (More information on the Official Boy Scout Litigation Website and blog.)
The next component introduces the concept of helping others. Extending a boy’s consciousness to think globally is a integral component of Boy Scouts. There are three merit badges about citizenship: Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, and Citizenship in the World. All three of them are required to earn your Eagle Scout Award, and by learning about the differences, I learned by 12 or 13 years old that there is more to life than the four other people in my family and myself.
Helping others is a good way to shift a boy’s perspective into being a keeper and protector of that world and the people who live in it–rather than simply a consumer.
The last three items in the oath turn the attention inwards: physically strong, mentally away, and morally straight.
“Physically Strong” addresses the issue of nutrition, exercise, and drug and alcohol use. With current obesity levels in America reaching epidemic proportions (see American Obesity Association), the ideas behind this one could help more than just Boy Scouts.
“Mentally Awake” can be interpreted as intellectually curiousity. I applaud anything that encourages people to use their mind, and this clearly is an attempt to promote thinking.
When I started sniffing around for links for the article, I found a whole host of Websites that are around to address the “Morally Straight” issue. Churches, the Government, Gays, some cities, a few school districts, and even the Boy Scout’s legal team have all addressed this one.
My personal interpretation is pretty open: Try to adhere to your own moral code–whatever that is. I heard someone say that there are two paths to choose (and that they are relative). There are choices that make you better, and choices that make you worse. I am not about to tell you what those choices are, or which choices make you better and which choices make you worse . . . .
Amidst the current flurry of litigation, attacks, and opinions, I still hold that the Boy Scout Oath that I made at the age of ten still serves as a good guideline.
Some of the links I found might be interesting:
- Boy Scouts of America: http://www.scouting.org
- Boy Scouts Legal Issues Website: http://www.bsalegal.org/
- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): http://www.aclusandiego.org/boy_scouts/boyscoutsbalboa.htm
- American Atheists: http://www.atheists.org/action/alert-28-may-2003.html
- HateCrimes.org: http://www.hatecrime.org/subpages/boyscouts.html
- Burkhart’s Blog: http://alanburkhart.blogspot.com/2006/09/its-about-time.html
- There are simply too many to list . . . .
14 Jan 2007 Tim 0 comments
