Scoutmaster Minute -- 31 May 2022

Some of you are familiar with the saying "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."  One can also make an argument against the opposite -- "all play and no work makes Jack a poor boy."  Many people struggle with work-life balance.  One can reason that all the money in the world is no good if you do not have the time to use it, and all the time in the world is no good if you do not have money to do anything.  Let me repeat for emphasis:  Do not get so caught up in work that you never take time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.  Likewise, do not get so content in recreation that you never achieve your full potential.  Seek balance and plan accordingly to find the right mix of work and play, as it is easy to get out of whack.  Use your time wisely because once time it is gone, you can never get it back.

A Scout is Thrifty.

Scoutmaster Minute for 24 May 2022

Over 246 years, 1.34 million men and women have laid down their lives in defense of our Nation.  Another 1.5 million have been wounded, often with visible scars, pain and disabilities that plague them throughout the rest of their lives.  Over the course of our wars, our Nation has recorded over 85 thousand service members as being missing in action, leaving families and loved ones unsure about the fate of their Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine, or Coast Guardsman.  It is for these individuals who gave the last full measure of devotion as they sacrificed their lives in defense of our freedoms and way of life, that we honor them on Memorial Day.  As we assemble at Quantico Cemetery on Saturday morning, we will show up on time and looking our best to raise the symbol of our country – our nation's flag that we know as the Star Spangled Banner.  It is a solemn task and we will be on our best behavior, because the venue demands it; our respect for our war dead commands it; and our reverence for the family members who will be on site morning, sharing memories, and praying compels us.  May your example add peace to those who grieve.  This is our duty.

A Scout is Reverent.

Scoutmaster Minute -- 17 May 2022

Today in history, 122 years ago, 17 May 1900, marked the end of the Siege of Mafeking and this is an important day for you and me.  It was the defense of this city in South African during the Second Boer War that made then-Colonel Robert Baden-Powell famous.  Leading a force of around 1,500 defenders, Colonel Baden-Powell held off a force of about 8,000 ethnic-Dutch Boer attackers for 217 days.  To do this, he famously used deception.  Constantly watched by Boer scouts and spies, Baden-Powell had his troops put out fake landmines.  Moving from place-to-place, he instructed his soldiers to step over fake barbed wire.  He had a fake howitzer and cannon made so it looked like he had more armament in his defenses.  Using an acetylene light and an old biscuit tin, they built something that passed as a searchlight.  Albeit in the stress and uncertainty of war, what fun it must have been coming up with ways to project that his British force was stronger. 

Given the deception, the Boers decided the town was too well defended to take in an assault, and after a failed attack on 12 May 1900, they gave up altogether when hearing of the British relief column coming towards the town.

After the end of the successful defense of Mafeking, Baden-Powell was celebrated as a hero.  He was promoted to Major General in the British Army – the youngest Major General at the time.  Boys in England started buying his book, Aids to Scouting for Non-Commissioned Officers and Men.  Based on the book's popularity with youth, Baden-Powell wrote Scouting for Boys in 1908 and from there the worldwide Boy Scout movement started.

Later in his Scouting career, Baden-Powell famously said, "Scouting is a game with a purpose."  Just like Baden-Powell's defense of Mafeking, sometimes we practice "games with a purpose" like Kim's Game or various events at the Klondike Derby, so we too can Be Prepared.

Scoutmaster Minute -- 11 May 2022

Many of you know that Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor.  He served in this capacity from 161 to 180 AD.  What is lesser known is that he was also a Stoic philosopher.  He wrote a book called Meditations.  In a line from this book, Marcus Aurelius states, "If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment." 

What he is talking about is one's attitude and how changing the way we process information, interaction and stimulus can be affected by the degree we let it have an effect upon us.  For example, sometimes our campouts are not always warm and sunny.  Yet in conditions that would make many miserable, I have seen Scouts playing in the snow and singing in the rain. This can be true in our interactions with people as well.  Have you ever been in a situation where another person's grouchiness and sharp tongue has ruined your day?  Have you ever considered that you let it ruin your day, as you could have just as easily brushed it off and had a pleasant day?  Our attitude can turn life's lemons into lemonade.  We can choose to dwell on the negative or embrace the positive.  What is sure is that life is better for us and those around us when we maintain the right attitude.  This is the essence of Scout Spirit.

A Scout is Cheerful.

Scoutmaster Minute -- 3 May 2022

Some of you are familiar with a quote from an Alfred, Lord Tennyson, "tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."  You have probably also heard the old proverb, "nothing ventured, nothing gained."  Both of these statements talk about taking risks.  Often in life, we do not take risks due to a fear of failure.  Sometimes this fear paralyses us, often irrationally so, and keeps us from reaching our potential or achieving greatness.  In life, it is important to be able to rise above the fear of failure, embarrassment, or imminent loss and just try.  It may take multiple swings at the bat to hit a home run, but that end result is worth all the effort.  Conversely, we know that if something is easy, it is not an achievement at all, as we did not have to overcome anything to do it and thus it has no value at all.  Do not be afraid to take some risks in life.  Sometimes you will fail, but that does not make you a failure -- it just means that you need to try again or try something different.  This is the only way that we discover what we are capable of accomplishing.

A Scout is Brave.