Wisdom of the Boy Scouts

I am going to borrow liberally from the Boy Scouts of America; I hope they don’t mind. There are a few tenets of the Boy Scouts that resonate with me:

• The Boy Scout Slogan:  “Do A Good Turn Daily.”  You can’t do better than that…unless it would be:  Do A Good Turn Every 15 Minutes.  This slogan may not belong above Jesus’ commandment to love your neighbor, but this is how loving your neighbor is done.  I don’t need to give a list of what a “good turn” is but a few you may not have thought of:
  • If you witness a misunderstanding or an accident and you know the truth, tell someone; clear the name of the innocent.
  • If someone does a good job or goes out of their way to help you, tell corporate headquarters.  (They are on the internet; trust me.)
  • Be polite to customer service.  It takes a brave soul to be the face of a company…especially a company that is have problems with technical issues, program glitches, outages, software errors, long lines, … The person answering the phone has problems at home and bills out the yin yang, just like you.  The person answering the phone is also probably paid less than you, too.  And, chances are, the person answering the phone is totally unaware that the programmers have just botched the user interface installation and didn’t bother letting the person answering the phone know that they were going to install a new interface, anyway.  I think you get my point:  cut people some slack.
• The Boy Scout Motto is:  “Be Prepared.”  Wesley, a new acquaintance, showed me the small wrench and multi-tool he carries.  I carry a P-38 (government-issue C-ration can opener.) But “Be Prepared” covers so much more.  You never know when you may have the opportunity to behave like Jesus.  Be prepared to react if someone, particularly in public, falls or is sick, injured, or upset.  For example, if someone suddenly grabs his chest and keels over, call out for help, and then ask him if you can pray for him.  If he says “yes,” then do so.  Asking first is only polite and leaves a lasting impression.  It also reassures the ill person that help is on the way… especially divine help.  Praying not only invites God in (not that He needs an invitation) but visibly praying for someone shows other people how it is done…easily and on the spot.  (By the way, no one has ever said “No,” when I have asked if I could pray for them.)
• The Scout Promise:  “On my honor I will do my best…”  You can not ask for more than that…of anyone.  To be willing to do your best implies willingness to learn from your mistakes and get better.  “Their best.”  Their best effort;  Their best hope;  Their best attitude;  Their best spirit; Their best…every time.

I would go through the 12 parts of the Boy Scout Law but I will leave that up to you;  it’s pretty incredible and all-encompassing.  It, too, is on the internet.  I recommend a thoughtful read-through.  It may even bring back some memories…