By Scott Cole, Teacher and Scoutmaster
A Scout is helpful. One of the major qualities that a Scout should posses is the desire and the ability to be helpful. Being helpful is one of the things that is expected of all Scouts as part of their duty.
A common image and stereotype of the Boy Scout is that we should be constantly at street corners helping little old ladies cross the street. I have been a Scout for many years and have never stood by a corner with the intent of helping little old ladies cross the street. This doesn’t mean that I am opposed to helping little old ladies. It has just never come up. Many people are afraid to join Scouting because they believe that this is what we have to do. So far, you have seen that it involves a lot more than that.
However, a Scout is supposed to be helpful. What does this mean? What does it mean to be helpful?
There are many different ways to be helpful. We can be helpful to our community, our school, society, and each other.
When we take a shadow to and from classes, we treat them like they are luggage. We dump them off and treat them as such. But what if you took the time to take care of your shadows? What if we found out how they were in class? What if we talked to them about their days? What if we shared our strength, experience, and hope with them?
How helpful are we in our classes and in the families? Do we confront people when it is the right thing to do, or are we more concerned about how we are perceived by those around us? If someone is acting up in class, do we stand up and help the teacher or the RA in class, or do we laugh along with the negative student and encourage them to do more? Do we do extra jobs around the families as needed, or do we crash on the couch? Do we tutor others who struggle in their classes, or do we read a book? Do we volunteer for crews or do we watch the movie instead? Do we help the person in crisis or share with the newer student or do we hang out with our friends and stick with who is more comfy to us? Do we listen to those in places in authority or do we argue with them and try to push our views on them? Are we the support that staff expects us to be?
Are we helpful in other ways? Do we recycle and help the environment? Do we pick up the trash by the picnic tables even if it isn’t ours? Are we respectful to our parents, teachers, and senior members? When people are on the phone, do we speak in a quieter, more respectful tone so they can hear the person on the other end?
These are some of the millions of ways we can be helpful around the school and in our communities. Being helpful is more than just doing stuff. It is about a way of living. It is about sacrifice and giving, but also the intrinsic reward you get back. Everyone of us has had that feeling inside when we give blood, run a canned food drive, delivered coats to those who need it, shared a desert with someone hungry, or done a task for someone who couldn’t do it on their own. Being helpful is not a chore, but a reward in itself. It shows that we have character and honor. That’s what being a real man is about.
Examine yourself and take an inventory of your actions. Are you as helpful as you can be? Are you the type of person that Scouting can be proud of? Will you back staff up when they need to rely on your assistance? If the answer is no, then you need to reexamine your role in this school and in the Scouts.
