About Scouters and Guiders
Michael F. Bowman (mfbowman@CAPACCESS.ORG)
Fri, 28 Mar 1997 22:26:02 -0500
We who wear the visable emblems of Scouting and Guiding, wherever we are,
travel a road made smoother by the goodwill and respect earned by those who
have passed before us. This goodwill and respect was earned because
those Scouters and Guiders through their actions demonstrated unselfish
dedication to youth aspiring to higher aims in life, frequently with
personal sacrifice, while at the same time overcoming economic, religious,
and secular differences as brothers and sisters in a movement that spans
the globe. Likewise this goodwill and respect has been given because we
have tried to live the same ideals that we are teaching our Scouts and
Guides.
Looking back in history, we can swell with pride at the number of youth
who have participated in the movement and who as a result have grown and
achieved much in their lives. The number of inspiring stories of
heroism, succeeding against the odds, and growth is countless. I would
bet that there are very few of us on this list who don't know a story
that would bring tears to the eyes or a lump to the throat.
And we know that Scouting and Guiding work, whether from ancedotal
evidence or statistics. We know that fewer youth exposed to Scouting end
up in trouble with the law than in the general population. We know that
many of these youth go on to great things in their lives.
None of this would have been possible without the help of others. In the
final analysis much of this is the result of leaders working together and
overcoming differences to move towards a common goal. At the unit level
it is a group of adults serving as unit leaders supported by more adults
on a committee or even more informally. And so it is at each level of
Scouting. It is through this cooperative effort that much has and can be
accomplished.
If we lose the ability to rise beyond ourselves and our own interests
then we also risk losing the goodwill and respect that our movement has
earned and the road we will leave for others to follow will be strewn
with our debris. This means that we need always think of the example we
are setting, the image we are giving to those around us, and our need for
the help and cooperation of our fellow Scouters and Guiders to succeed.
No one person can do it alone.
On this list we have a tremendous opportunity to share with fellow
Scouters and Guiders from around the globe and to strengthen each other
through knowledge, ideas, experiences, and stories passed around this
virtual campfire. We can do much to advance Scouting and Guiding.
Sadly, we can also do much harm and damage too when we use intemperate
language, jump too quickly to critisize, or focus on an individual instead
of an idea.
As Scouters and Guiders living the ideals of Scouting, we should never
see "hate mail" and personal attacks (flames) on this list. But we
are human and mistakes are made. This medium of communication makes it
very easy to make a snap response, sometimes without the benefit of
careful thought and the next thing you know tempers flair, words are
exchanged and feeling needlessly hurt.
Sometimes it is better to wait a day and think about a response instead
of pumping one out immediately and after asking if I were on the
receiving end, how would I feel if I got the same posting. Another thing
to consider is that each time a posting is sent to the list, it is
distributed to over 700 subscribers and nearly 2000 more in digest form,
then repeated in Usenet News areas and on websites. If you were standing
in front of the same 2700 people, would you make the same statement?
Would you behave the same way?
I suspect that most of us would rather stand before our fellows and offer
great ideas, wonderful stories, and inspiring thoughts, and that few
would want to stand before the group and be known only for sniping or
ankle-biting.
Each person on this list is a brother or sister Scout(er) or Guide(r) or
a person interested in youth serving organizations. Each is entitled to
respect and each of us is obligated as a Scout to give courtesy and to
respect others. We need each other or we wouldn't be here. Lets take
advantage of the opportunity to share and grow in positive ways in the
spirit of cooperation. And by so doing, we will continue to build a road
to the future that we can be proud of in future years.
Speaking only for myself in the Scouting Spirit, Michael F. Bowman
Dep.Dist.Commissioner-Training, G.W.Dist., NCAC, BSA (Virginia)
U. S. Scouting Service Project FTP Site Administrator (PC Area)
ftp1 or ftp2.scouter.com/usscouts E-mail: mfbowman@capaccess.org
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