Family Forum / Marriage / Marriage / April 2008

"Stephanie <haaa@noway.net>" wrote, discussing what my copy of the
_Boy Scout Handbook_ calls the "Scout Law" ("A Scout is Trustworthy,
Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty,
Brave, Clean, and Reverent."), wrote:

Remember, this is "Boy" scouts.  The Handbook's explanation for
"obedient" is (1911 version):

   He obeys his parents, Scoutmaster, patrol leader, and all other
   duly constituted authorities.

They came out with a newfangled one in 1972, which reads:

   A Scout follows the rules of his family, school, and troop.  He
   obeys the laws of his community and country. If he thinks these
   rules and laws are unfair, he tries to have them changed in an
   orderly manner rather than disobey them.

(I'm sure that counts because it isn't the one I learned. 8-)

There are, of course, all kinds of problems with this, and some of
our best adults have been those who were creatively disobedient.  But
when we're talking about 11-year-olds, emphasising that they do NOT
know everything is actually a good idea.

Given some of what we've seen in this newsgroup, there are lots of
men and women for whom merely trustworthy, helpful, and kind would be
an improvement over their previous relationships.

*

Bizarre fact: the *only* time I have ever been on television was when
a reporter asked me why I chose one course of action over another,
alternative course, and my reply was "That would be rude."  The one
sentence I ever said on TV was in support of basic courtesy.  I'm
sure my old Scoutmaster would have been pleased. 8-)

Darren Provine ! kilroy@elvis.rowan.edu ! http://www.rowan.edu/~kilroy
"Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted."
                                       -- Martin Luther King, Jr.