When I was in college and taking classes to become an Army officer (not much older than your ages now), one of the things I had to learn was Rogers' Standing Orders. Robert Rogers was an officer in the rank of Major in the British Army in the French and Indian War. He led a company of Rangers in the war. Even though the references are somewhat archaic (more than 200 years prior), the context is still so important that 19 of his orders are still a part of the US Army Ranger Handbook. Let me share a few of the rules so that you see what I am talking about:
"Have your musket clean as a whistle, hatchet scoured, sixty rounds powder and ball, and be ready to march at a minute's warning." This means keep one's gear in good shape. I take this lesson to heart and when I get back from a campout, I dry my tent, give my mess lit and coffee cup a good cleaning, wash my clothes, sharpen my knife, and repack my pack so I am ready to go on the next campout.
"Don't forget nothing." Yes, this is a double negative, but I thought of this on our last campout when I found that I forgot my backpacking pillow. Call me soft, but both nights I was kicking myself for not packing my backpacking pillow. You can bet that the next time I pack, I'll double-check my packing list and tell myself -- "Don't forget nothing."
"When you are on the march, act the way you would if you was sneaking up on a deer. See the enemy first." Yes -- bad grammar, let's get that out of the way. When we hike, I am not looking for the enemy, but I do like to walk quietly enough that I am able to see the deer and the fox. Some of you were with me when we practiced hiking quietly in Pennsylvania, and we were rewarded with seeing a bald eagle that we would have otherwise scared away.
"Don't never take a chance you don't have to." Yes, another double negative. Yet, this is my favorite. There is a time and a place to be brave and to be bold, but to take risks for the sake of taking risks is not smart. My mentor said this meant things like stepping around puddles rather than splashing through them -- why test to see if your boots are waterproof or water resistant if you don't have to? Also, often one cannot see the bottom of the puddle and neither knows the depth nor the content of the bottom. Inherently, we take 113 years of Scouting and we manage risk. We use programs like Safe Swim Defense, Safety Afloat, and Climb on Safely so we can do the activities we like to do, but in a safe manner, leveraging the lessons we have learned as an institution over the years. As George Santayana said, "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it."
To this end, I encourage you to read, think about what you read and learn. Leverage the fact that you have the most capable brain in the animal kingdom so that you can make the most out of your life, and so that you do not end your life or reduce your quality of life due to avoidable mistakes.
I will keep myself mentally awake -- Be Prepared!