Following the Line

Think about it. It is truly amazing. We spend a lot of our lives in line or lanes. We wait in line at the bank. We wait with our shopping cart at the store. We drive in lanes, sometimes one wide, sometimes two wide. These lanes and lines help us to get where we are going and help us to stay organized in our community.

What I find truly amazing is that many of these lines and lanes are nothing more than a line painted on the floor or road. Sometimes they exist only in our minds. We "create" the line, and then we and the people around us, follow it. And we all live happily ever after...

Until someone does not follow the line. It irritates us when someone cuts into the line at the store or theater. Tempers rise and words are said. People become unfriendly. When someone incorrectly crosses the line on a road doing seventy miles an hour accidents can happen and people can be killed.

We also have lines to follow in Scouting. Using a map and compass we follow an imaginary line to get to where we wish to go, possibly our campsite for the night. We stand in line to get a plateful of food, or to participate in an activity at a camporee.

The Scout Oath and the Scout Law represent two lines that a boy and adult agree to follow when they join a Boy Scout troop. When an adult follows these lines he sets a good example for the Scouts in his troop. When a boy follows these lines he has a good start on growing into a man of strong character. He will be an asset to his community. People will look up to him. He will be respected.

Of course, when a boy (or an adult leader) drift away from the line of behavior set by the Scout Oath and Law, the chances increase that he will find himself in trouble. The news is full of boys and men who have strayed from the line of good behavior. Too many times they find themselves in a small room looking out through vertical lines that keep them in place.

Which lines have you chosen to follow?

Good Scout / Bad Scout

One of the joys of being a scoutmaster is watching the boys grow up and hopefully taking some of the things they learned in Scouting along with them on their life's journey. It is great when former Boy Scouts stop by for a visit and we talk about the fun they had while they were a Scout, and how being a Scout has helped them in their adult life. Many of my former Scouts now have families of their own, are doing well with their careers, and a few have even found their way back to the Scouting program.

While a boy is in Scouting we try to instill in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law. We try to get them to live by the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace guidelines when we are camping. We ask them, "What have you done for a good turn today?" "Are you prepared?"

As adult leaders we try to provide a program of learning, friendship, and fun. But a Boy Scout troop is only one influence on the young boy who is rapidly becoming a young man. His family and parents are the biggest influence on his life. Then add school, sports, and other extracurricular activities to the equation. Finally, add his friends. As we quickly realize, Scouting is one of many parts that help to shape his life.

I have noticed that with most boys some the values of Scouting stick with them. But not always. Once in a while I will hear of a former troop member who left the Scouting path and turned down the wrong trail. Some have fallen into alcohol or drug abuse. Some have gotten into trouble with the law through shoplifting, or worse. A few have become fathers before they were married and ready to settle down.

The public perception of Scouting sometimes seems to believe that once a boy becomes a Boy Scout he will be a near perfect young man who is always helping others through his kindness. As adult leaders of the program we understand that will not always be the case. We provide one influence in his life. Hopefully, that positive Scouting influence will be strong enough to overcome some of the negative influences a boy will happen across.

Do you have a story to share about how Scouting has helped your life or someone you know? Leave a comment and share it with us.

Cub Scout Comics

Last year I wrote a few blog entries about Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting making appearances in various comics like Peanuts and Garfield. Did you know the BSA has also produced its own comic books? Oh, they are not usually the funny style comics that you would see in Boy's Life magazine (although a comic book collection of Peewee Harris could be interesting). These comics usually tell Scouts about important lessons.

Currently, through Scoutstuff.org, there are three short comic books for Cub Scout age boys featuring the three Cub Scout characters T.C., Akela, and Baloo. The comics deal with some serious issues, and are priced low enough (only 20 cents each) that you may consider getting a copy of each book for each boy in your Pack. Here is a quick explanation of each book taken from the scoutstuff.com site:

Power Pack Pals #1: Bullying Comic Book
These eight page comic books feature T.C., Akela, and Baloo talking to kids about bullying. Publication is collaboration between the BSA® and several leading youth protection advocacy groups to help address the problem of bullying among youth.
(available HERE)

Power Pack Pals #2: Internet Safety Comic Book
This comic book is the second in a series of youth protection comics for Cub Scout aged kids featuring Akela, Baloo, and T.C. addressing dangers kids could encounter on the Internet and how to avoid them.
(available HERE)

Power Pack Pals #3: 4 Rules for Safety Comic Book
This 8-page comic is the third in a series of youth protection comics for Cub Scout aged kids featuring Akela, Baloo, and T.C. It illustrates scenarios that advise kids about the dangers of strangers and inappropriate behavior by adults toward children, and what to do in scary situations.
(available HERE)
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The First Fight

We all like to brag about the great things that Boy Scouting can provide our boys and young men. I firmly believe that it is one of the best organizations in which a boy can be a member. However, it is not always and easy time for an adult leader.

Like any other club or organization, people do not always agree on things. Conflicts can arise. Shouting matches occur. And once in a while, there may even be a fight. As adult leaders in Scouting, we need to be referees, stop the arguments before they go too far, and in extreme cases, break up a fight.

I will never forget the first time I had to break up a physical conflict between two Scouts. It was in the early eighties. I was a twenty year old assistant scoutmaster at the time. Two older boys started argueing aboout something during a troop meeting held at a local school gym. It soon escaladed into more then shouting.

As their arms began to swing, I went into action. Before I realized what I was doing, I had grabbed both boys by the front of their shirts and was holding them up against the wall. I held them for a few moments until they cooled off. I looked up at them and told them to to stop it. Then I let them go.

Oh yeah, you read that correctly. I looked up at them. Both of them were taller then me. I think either one of them could have taken me down if he would have wanted to. I just acted, without thinking about my own safety, you might say. They needed to be stopped, so I stopped them.

I think I surprised the boys more then I scared them. I know I surprised myself. But no one was hurt and the conflict was now over. As we went back to our troop meeting, we keep a close eye on those two boys.

There have been several conflicts during the last 26 years. Luckily, they have been few and far between. And they never became something more then we could handle.

One of the best things we can do as adult leaders is to teach the boys how to handle disagreements and how to solve conflicts. The best way we can do this is by being a good example for the Scouts to follow. After all, how can we expect the boys to listen to us if we cannot control ourselves?