[February 24, 2019] A good news story. As most of you know, I volunteer to assist a Boy Scout Troop where I live. While winter camping out a week ago, I witnessed several older scouts help a new scout who was doing poorly at coping with the cold weather.1
The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is “to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes…”2 As any person who works with children knows that teaching basic values is the most effective way to ensure these young people become responsible and productive adults.
“A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better.” – Jim Rohn, American entrepreneur
When one of our young scouts was having a hard time playing a sandbox baseball game, the senior patrol leader (15 years old) briefly stopped the game. That leader gave a hands-on demonstration on how to hit the ball better and how to take advantage of the slow pitch. The help didn’t stop there. Time was taken to let the young scout know that he was part of the team and would always be welcome to play with the older boys.
And there’s more. The younger scout was “too cold” the first night out. Another patrol leader went to the troop’s camping trailer to get one of our spare cold-weather sleeping bags. This U.S. Army down sleeping bag is great in keeping you warm. The next day, I asked the young scout if he was cold overnight and he said that he was “toasty.”
There’s more to this than the obvious surface that I saw. This young scout told me later, at a Scoutmaster conference, that he had the “best time of my life.” Why did I ask could anybody say such a thing when the weather was so cold and so inexperienced? The answer is rather simple; other scouts showed an interest in this young boy who was doing poorly. Except maybe for his parents, no one had shown him they cared.
Leaders help those who are doing poorly. That is one of the life’s lessons boys should be taught as a matter of course, not by accident.
—————-
- Cold weather brings a host of challenges for campers. Young boy scouts, 11 to 13 years old, are especially susceptible to the effects of cold weather. Lacking large body mass, fewer outdoor experiences, and underestimating what cold can do their bodies, young scouts make predictable mistakes anyone could make.
- https://www.scouting.org/legal/mission/
“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” – Charles Dicken
One of my favorite quotes.
It’s easy to get so wrapped up in fixing your own life that you forget about helping others that are not doing so well. And while its important to put yourself first sometimes, its even more important to help others whenever you can.
Helping others is at the base of human evolution. Without it, we would have all gone the way of the dodo bird.
… and so says Dr. Seuss “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
Is this really about ‘charity’ or about ‘caring”. Somethings there is a mix of motivations to help others. Personally, I like the idea of making it about both. To help others, especially those who are doing poorly, is what being human is about. There will always be 10% who are not doing well for a variety of reasons. Helping them, helps us all.
This is all about helping the less fortunate.
“Helping The Less Fortunate” https://thisibelieve.org/essay/41016/
Down in their hearts, wise men know this truth: the only way to help yourself is to help others. ~Elbert Hubbard
Nice quote, thanks Danny!
Yes, good one…..
Yes, most of us were taught this but today’s snowflake generation is all about them.
I love the stories you have about the Boy Scouts and their trials and adventures. Keep it up. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Gen. Satterfield had an article in this leadership blog a couple of years ago that pushed the fake media corruption home to me. Worth reading. “The U.S. War in Iraq: My View (the Media)” He tried to help the media folks but I think they are beyond saving.
https://www.theleadermaker.com/u-s-war-iraq-view-media/
Now if only more people in the political arena really understood this and acted accordingly (and not project ‘fake’ compassion) we all would be much better off.
The fake-compassion liberals are always at changing the rules and see the world as always evolving. But they want to see “differences” and emphasize those differences unless they deviate from their ideology. Just look at the Covington High School kids who were dragged thru the mud. Ooops! The liberals were wrong again.
Dale and Dennis. Well said. All this fake stuff makes my head spin at the stupidity of it all.
Spot on article. Well written.
Totally agree. That is why I always come back to this website. Plus, I certainly like reading the comments section. You never know when you will find a real gem.
I too come to this Gen. Satterfield website for a short, good, informative reading.