Scoutmaster Minute, 1 August 2023

Many consider Bruce Lee as one of the world's greatest martial artists.  He created a hybrid martial art called Jeet Kune Do and among his students was Chuck Norris.  Part of Bruce Lee's success was an intensive physical fitness regimen that included focus on muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance and flexibility.  Bruce Lee once said, "Do not pray for an easy life; pray for the strength to endure a difficult one."  As Scouts, I find this compelling, as we endeavor to Be Prepared.  We do not go to an outing hoping for the best -- we prepare ourselves for the chance of the worst.  Forecast says sunny skies -- we pack raincoats, waterproof boots and extra socks.  Warm weather?  We better bring a jacket and gloves just in case.  Likewise, when we train, we should do more than we think we will need to do.  Want to make a one-mile run easy?  Run two miles in training.  This reminds me of three quotes from Scouting's founder, Lord Robert Baden-Powell, who said "Be Prepared.  Be prepared for what?  Why, for any old thing."  BP also said, "A Scout is never taken by surprise; he knows exactly what to do when anything unexpected happens."  Lastly, he said, "Be Prepared... the meaning of the motto is that a Scout must prepare himself by previous thinking out and practicing how to act on any accident or emergency so that he is never taken by surprise."  To this end, I encourage you not to plan for the best, but prepare for the worst and enjoy when conditions play out better than your preparations.

Be Prepared

Scoutmaster Minute for 25 July 2023

You may have received the advice, "don't burn your bridges."  This term dates back to the days of the Roman Empire, where the Roman Army was constantly at war and burning bridges behind one's forces could negate the chances of mutiny, as any soldiers choosing to leave the field of battle would not have a way back home.  Yet, burning one's bridges meant that the army could not receive resupply or reinforcements either.  Therefore, blocking one's exit limited one's options.

 

Today, when we say, "don't burn your bridges" we are typically talking about relationships.  The person you think you do not need to invest time to develop a friendship, or worse yet you do not keep from being an enemy, might be someone you need to ask for a favor in the future.  This is the same for jobs – always leave on good terms.  At a minimum, you will need the reference, and sometimes former bosses reach back out to good employees to offer better opportunities.

 

As a Scout, we should always be friendly.  Yet sometimes anger and pride cause humans to do things they later regret, like "burning bridges."  Maintain the moral high ground and always endeavor to leave in good terms.

 

A Scout is Friendly.

Scoutmaster Minute, 18 July 2023

When I am watching the Summer Olympics or a track and field competition, I am always amazed by the high jump. I know many of you already know, but for those that do not, the high jump is a competition where one must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging the bar. This normally involves the athlete propelling his or her body flat over the bar and crashing into a thick padded mat on the other side of the bar. Most people do not grow up doing this, so I imagine there is a little apprehension in every athlete before attempting the high jump for the first time. Once one learns the skill, he or she must decide where to set the bar to practice. With repetition, the athlete gets better and inevitably raises the bar to see if he or she can beat a previous best. Coaches and teammates help encourage the athlete to challenge him or herself to raise the bar so that the athlete reaches his or her full potential. That bar is very important – imagine it would not be a very interesting sport if that bar were not there to measure success.

One can draw congruencies with the high jump and life. To be a success, we often have to attempt to do things that may not seem natural to us. Once we learn a new skill, we often need to set a goal of how to do this skill better. Parents, teachers, other adult leaders and our friends help us to develop realistic, but challenging goals. Oftentimes, when we achieve a level of mastery defined by our goal, we 'raise the bar' and start working towards that new goal. Yet, sometimes people live with no goals in mind. They wake up, eat and do as little as possible until it is time to sleep again. One might say that life like this is as pointless as competing in the high jump without a bar.

I encourage you to live a life full of goals. When you clear the bar you have set for yourself, either raise it or apply focus to another goal. Be realistic, but optimistic. Set timeframes and hold yourself accountable for progress. Empower family and friends to cheer and/or goad you along. Keep trying until you clear the bar.

On my honor, I will do my best…