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Eagle Court of Honor
August 8, 2003
I Am My Brother's Keeper
It is easy to not pay as much attention to all the young men in the troop as they and I would like. This is
especially true of a troop that is always growing. As Scoutmaster, I find this to be one of the most difficult
tasks. There will always be the dynamic young men that grab your attention... the ones that you can just tell will
do well. Then there are the ones that always seem to get into trouble. They always have your attention as well.
I wish that this were not true, but it is, and I cannot deny it. This troop has been lucky enough to have some
great Assistant Scoutmasters, which helped a lot, but alas, some boys seem to slip by.
I have tried to devise a solution for this problem for many years. The troop has tried the "new patrol" method,
as prescribed by national headquarters. We have tried using a "big brother" program to keep the scouts interested.
The fact is none of these seems to work well. While pondering this problem recently, I think I found does work...
living by the Scout Law.
If every person involved in Scouting were to truly live by the Scout Law, several things happen. They would be
trusted more by their friends, family and peers. They would become loyal to their beliefs. They would find
themselves helping people more often. Friends would visit or call more frequently. The world around them would
seem happier, with politeness and thoughtfulness surrounding them. Kindness would become second nature to them,
and they would receive kindness in return. Not just the laws of the land, but the laws of nature and their God
would make more sense, and obeying them would become easy. Things would not seem as bad as in the past and they
would be more cheerful when faced with difficult times. They would waste less time worrying about the things
that they cannot change and become thrifty with their time. It would be easier to face the difficulties of
life, because their friends would be by to support them and give them courage. Cleanliness of body and should
would naturally follow them. Finally, a firmer and more defined belief in a higher being would become more
important.
How does this help prevent overlooking a scout? If we all lived this way, we would watch over each other, not
relying on one individual or group of individuals. In scouting, we are all brothers. We agree to abide by the
same principals, have the same code of ethics, and have a similar goal. That goal is to help young boys become
men of character. It is not just the Scoutmaster's responsibility, the Senior Patrol Leader's, or the Troop
Committee. It is all our responsibility. If we all agree to this, then no boy will be overlooked. They will
all get the attention that they deserve, whether they are a new Scout or an Eagle Scout.
We are all brothers in the Boy Scouts of America, and I am my brother's keeper. Are you?
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