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.