We work our whole lives building a reputation. A good reputation is a cumulative effort of reliability, trustworthiness, kind acts, hard work, and loyalty, among other things. Conversely, a bad reputation can include non-reliability, a history of lying, laziness, vulgarity, selfishness, and mean spiritedness among other things. A person cannot take your good reputation – it is yours and yours alone. To lose it, you must give it away.
Group dynamics are different. In the group, all contribute to the good reputation through acts of virtue. Yet, the act of a single individual can tarnish the reputation of the whole. You may have heard that one 'ah crud' can erase a bunch of 'atta-boys,' or 'one bad apple can spoil the whole barrel.' That is why when we serve on a team we consider our fellow teammates and seek not to let them down. We feel the pressure of being part of something larger than ourselves and 'up our game' to contribute, not hinder, to the well-being, achievements and reputation of our team.
In Scouting, we are in many teams. Our patrols. Our troops. Our district. Our council. Our national Scouting America. The World Scouting Movement. Let our actions and our hearts prove to contribute to the good reputation of Scouting at every level.
A Scout is.
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Scoutmaster Minute— October 21, 2025
I look out here tonight at scouts, scouters, family members and it reminds me of the saying "Rome was not built in a day"
We celebrate the accomplishments of our scouts this evening and I see the results of the time, effort, and hard work that each scout, scouter, and parent puts forth each day into these scouts.
We are sitting here in a very large group of scouts because every day each of us makes the choice to live by the scout oath and the scout law. Scouts you make the choice to not only be here but to actively and faithfully participate. Older scouts you make the choice to spend your time helping out younger scouts learning their scout skills. You embrace the EDGE method.
Scouters you make the choice to invest your time and effort into these scouts Tuesday evenings, weekends, and all the other days in between.
It's through these consistent efforts all of us here celebrate these scouts earning merit badges as well as advancing to the next rank. All of the progress these scouts have made wasn't instantaneous. It have been accomplished through consistent and deliberate effort.
A scout is Loyal.
We celebrate the accomplishments of our scouts this evening and I see the results of the time, effort, and hard work that each scout, scouter, and parent puts forth each day into these scouts.
We are sitting here in a very large group of scouts because every day each of us makes the choice to live by the scout oath and the scout law. Scouts you make the choice to not only be here but to actively and faithfully participate. Older scouts you make the choice to spend your time helping out younger scouts learning their scout skills. You embrace the EDGE method.
Scouters you make the choice to invest your time and effort into these scouts Tuesday evenings, weekends, and all the other days in between.
It's through these consistent efforts all of us here celebrate these scouts earning merit badges as well as advancing to the next rank. All of the progress these scouts have made wasn't instantaneous. It have been accomplished through consistent and deliberate effort.
A scout is Loyal.
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Scoutmaster Minute, 12 October 2025
In writings and philosophy, you will encounter the concept of Utopia. In a general sense, Utopia is a perfect world where all are treated equal and everyone works towards the common good with everyone else's best interests in mind. Unfortunately, Utopia does not exist on this world – it is like Unobtainium. Greed, self-centeredness, selfishness, ego, mean-spiritedness, and xenophobia keep Utopia as a fictional place.
Just because there is no such place as a perfect world in this life, it does not mean that you cannot work towards making a perfect world. You can treat others with the kindness you would like to receive. You can help those in need. You can show courtesy and extend friendship to all. You may not change the whole world, but the impact of your actions will have a ripple effect and create more change than you know.
Build your Utopia around you.
A Scout is Kind, Helpful, Courteous, and Friendly
Tuesday, October 7, 2025
Scoutmaster Minute— October 7, 2025
I quilt as a hobby. Quilting is taking smaller pieces of fabric and making a larger piece of fabric to make a blanket.
Quilting can be a very sustainable creative endeavor. It allows you to take clothing that may benefit at the end of it's useful life as a pair of pants and give it new purpose.
Quilting brings together fabric of different types, colors, and shapes and brings it together for one purpose…becoming a blanket to keep you warm.
I would like to think of all of us in this room as pieces of fabric. We all have different educational backgrounds, families, friends, professions etc. We are all here united in living out the values of the Scout Oath and Law.
We should all endeavor to work together to keep ourselves warm with scout spirit while we live out the Scout Oath and Law.
Quilting can be a very sustainable creative endeavor. It allows you to take clothing that may benefit at the end of it's useful life as a pair of pants and give it new purpose.
Quilting brings together fabric of different types, colors, and shapes and brings it together for one purpose…becoming a blanket to keep you warm.
I would like to think of all of us in this room as pieces of fabric. We all have different educational backgrounds, families, friends, professions etc. We are all here united in living out the values of the Scout Oath and Law.
We should all endeavor to work together to keep ourselves warm with scout spirit while we live out the Scout Oath and Law.
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