A Scout Is (collection of minutes) Minute

This Minute is meant for Scouts BSA.

A Scout is Trustworthy


A Scout is Loyal
Scouts, what's the second point of the Scout Law? That's right, 'A Scout is loyal.' Our Scout handbook explains that a Scout is loyal to his family, Scout leaders, friends, school and nation.

I'm going to add one more thing to that list - a Scout is loyal to his team. The team might be his patrol or sports team.

Your patrol or soccer team can't be as good as it should be if you goof off a lot or constantly complain about your teammates or your patrol leader or coach. A winning patrol and a winning team, must have a winning attitude. That means that every member must be willing to do his part and not spend time griping because the patrol's plans or the game are not going his way.

That doesn't mean that you have to be close friends with everybody in your patrol or team or even like all of them. But it means that when you join, you commit yourself to the success of the patrol or the team and pledge to give it your best effort.

In Scouting and sports, it's teamwork that makes winners. So whenever you're with your patrol or sports team, remember, 'A Scout is loyal'.


A Scout is Helpful


A Scout is Friendly
What's the fourth point of the Scout Law? That's right - 'A Scout is friendly. '
Do you have as many friends as you'd like to have? Real friends, I mean? The kind of guys you're glad to see, and who are glad to see you?

Well maybe not. Lots of us would like to make more friends, but somehow it doesn't seem to happen. Well the secret of making friends is simple - being friendly. If you're a put down artist, or if you're always trying to rip off everybody or get the better of them in some way you're not going to have many friends. Nobody like to be put down or ripped off.

The Bible gives the key to making friends. It's called the Golden Rule - 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. ' That's a great rule to remember in everything you do. And it's a perfect prescription for making friends.



A Scout is Courteous


A Scout is Kind
Scouts, our Law say's 'A Scout is kind. A Scout understands that there is strength in being gentle. He treats others as he wants to be treated. He does not hurt or kill harmless things without reason.'
Some of you may already be hunters. No doubt others will hunt as you get older. I have a question for you: Is a hunter following the Scout Law when he shoots wild creatures? (Get answers. )

It seems to me that the key words in this point of the Law are, 'without reason'. A Scout does not hurt or kill without reason. If you're going hunting for food, or to kill pests that are destroying property, or are hunting animals that are dangerous to man, you're not hunting without reason. So you are not violating the Scout Law.

But never aim at a target you don't intend to hit. And if your target is a living creature, be sure you're not killing it without reason. A Scout is kind, and he does not blast away just for fun. He shoots only for good reason.



A Scout is Obedient
The Scout Handbook explains being Obedient this way: '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.'
So, you may not agree with some rules - if that's the case, then you should work to understand them and then work to get them changed. Simply disobeying them creates chaos and possibly danger.
Examples of rules to obey are Traffic Rules. If you decide that that big, red, octagon sign isn't going to stop you, then you'll be in big trouble. If you decide to see what its like to drive in England and use the left-hand side of the road, you'll be in big trouble.
These are rules that everyone understands and follows to keep traffic moving safely. They are arbitrary rules - we could have decided that green meant STOP and red meant GO, but now that they are in place, we all obey them.
The same is true in your family, school, troop, and whenever you interact with people. If you are a hermit in the mountains by yourself, then you can do whatever you want. But, in society, we obey rules and work to change those that may be unjust or unfair.



A Scout is Cheerful
Two brothers once decided to leave their hometown and move to the city. Outside the city the first brother met an old man. 'How are the people here?' asked the first brother.

'Well, how were the people in your hometown?' asked the old man in return.

'Aw, they were always grumpy and dissatisfied,' answered the first brother. 'There wasn't a single one among them worth bothering about. '

'And,' the old man said, 'you'll find that the people here are exactly the same!'

Later the other brother came along. 'How are the people in this city?' he asked. 'How were the people in your hometown?' the old man asked as before.

'Fine!' said the other brother. 'Always cheerful, always kind and understanding!'

'You will find that the people her are exactly the same!' said the old man again, for he was a wise old man who knew that the attitude of the people you meet depends upon your own state of mind. If you are cheerful and frank and good-humored, you'll find others the same.



A Scout is Thrifty
If I were to turn the thermostat in my house up to 80 and open all the windows on a cold, winter day, which part of the Scout Law would I not be following? (Thrifty)
I'd be wasting lots of energy, just throwing heat, gas, and money away. That is an obvious one.

What am I doing when I build a huge campfire?
I'm burning a lot of wood that will not be available to other scouts. I'm destroying material that would eventually create new soil. I'm not being Thrifty.
Thrifty is not just about money. Thrifty means to conserve and get the most use out of all your resources.

Would someone please tell me, in a nutshell, what 'Leave No Trace' is?
(Leave No Trace is a program intended to preserve the outdoors spaces through minimizing our impact when we are hiking and camping.)
When our troop follows the principles of Leave No Trace, we are being Thrifty users of the wild places.
Keep your eyes open for other, interesting ways you can be Thrifty and let me know what you come up with.



A Scout is Brave
In the Scout Law we say, 'A Scout is brave.' What does that mean to you? (Get answers. )

Usually we think of bravery as overcoming fear to take some action that saves a life of helps someone in some way. Most of the time we're talking about overcoming fear of physical harm to ourselves.

But there's another kind of bravery. It's bravery to overcome the fear of ridicule from our friends. It's the courage that's required to do what you know is right, even if your friends make fun of you. It may even be tougher than being brave in a crisis because you usually have more time to think about it.

I know it's sometimes hard to act right when everybody is urging you to do something you know is wrong. It takes a courageous Scout - or man - to withstand the pressure from friends.

It's not easy - but it's the mark of a good Scout. Let's try to do our best to be brave in every situation - the emergency and the pressure from friends.


A Scout is Clean
(Hold up two cooking pots, one shiny bright on the inside but sooty outside, the other shiny outside and dirty inside. )

Scouts, which of these pots would you rather have your food cooked in? Did I hear someone say 'Neither one. ' That's not a bad answer. We wouldn't have much confidence in a patrol cook who didn't have his pots shiny both inside and out. But if we had to make a choice, we would tell the cook to use the pot that's clean on the inside. The same applies to people.

Most people keep themselves clean on the outside. But how about the inside? Do we try to keep our minds and our language clean? I think that's more important than keeping the outside clean.

A Scout of course, should be clean inside and out. Water, soap, and a toothbrush takes care of the outside.

Only your determination will keep the inside clean. You can do it by following the Scout Law and the example of the people you respect - your parents, your teacher, your clergyman, or a good buddy who is trying to do the same thing.



A Scout is Reverent