SOU 060120 Be Prepared

 

You Are What You Read

 

People do different things when they go into the homes and offices of others. Some look at the artwork and how it is decorated. Some people like to peek in people’s medician cabinets or refrigerators. I look at their books. I can learn a lot from the books on a person’s shelves – or lack of them. I believe, as a Roman statesman, Marcus Tullius Cicero said, “A home without books is a body without a soul.”

Scouts and Scouters should be passionate readers. However, my experience tells me that many are not. I have heard all the basic excuses for not spending time with books. “I am not a good reader.” “I don’t like reading.” “I have to read so much in school that I don’t want to do it in my free time.” The excuses go on and on. Sadly, they all boil down to one reason. It is called laziness.

“If a man is known by the company he keeps,

so also his character is reflected in the books he reads.”

J. Oswald Sanders

1902-1992

Author

 

Here is the truth about reading. We have more access to books and reading material than ever in human history. Not so long ago, if you wanted to take books with you on a trip, you had to lug several volumes along with all your other stuff. Today you can bring entire libraries full of books all stored in your phone. Not only can you get any text you want on a device, but there are thousands of them for free. There is no excuse for not finding something that interests you, or that will help you on your path in life.

One of the greatest privileges we have is the ability to read. If you are reading this post, you have that gift. Do not let it be wasted. Mark Twain once said, “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.” Books can open doors of opportunity for you, unlike anything you will find. Books offer adventure, skills, knowledge, and power. Formal education is limited, but books have no limits and no expiration date. You can read the work from great men and women centuries-old or those who wrote only yesterday.

As a Scout, make books a constant companion. It does not matter if they are hard copies you hold in your hand or electronic versions on your phone or tablet. What matters is that you read the. Read what you enjoy. The range of material is vast. Fiction, nonfiction, science fiction, biography, technology, crafts, sports, or even cooking. They are all there waiting for you to discover then. Once you do, I promise you; the adventure will never end.

Scouting Out of Uniform is a personal blog based on the lessons learned from Scouting that relate to personal development and success principles and is not an official site of The Boy Scouts of America. John Patrick Hickey does not represent or speak for the Scouting program; however, he does completely support and encourages Scouting for both young and old. John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, Personal Development Coach, and proud Scouter. To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business, or group, visit our website at www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2020 John Patrick Hickey

SOU032520 Reverent

Imitate Who?

 

I have told you before, and I still hold to it, I am so grateful that I grew up during a time when we had heroes. Heroes were more than people we admired and whose example we followed. Our heroes were the people we wanted to become. They were to ones we imitated.

That act of imitating the people we admire has not changed. That is basic human behavior. What has changed are the qualities and values which we use to make those we call heroes. Somewhere along the line, we took a turn from those who do good and are people of character and integrity to people who have negative attitudes, seek out fights, and refuse to think of anyone besides themselves. As a Scout, what you must understand is that the example you follow is up to you, not the person who you are looking to follow.

“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders,

but they have never failed to imitate them.”

James Baldwin

1924-1987

Author

 

Scouts and Scouters have a significant advantage when it comes to finding heroes. The Scout Oath and Law give us a list of qualities that we need to seek out in those whose example we want to follow. The Oath and Law also give us the direction we need to set an example for those whose lives we will influence. We influence no one more than our children. Actor Johnny Depp said, “When you have children, there is no room for lies, no room for anything but the truth. Anything other than that is a bad example, I believe.”

Always remember that heroes are important. It is important to have heroes who we can follow and whose example we use as a road map to good character and right living. It is also essential to be a hero. Some may say that we do not set out to be a hero; it just happens to us. I do not believe that is true. Being a hero is a place of responsibility and honor. These are deliberate acts that we not only choose, but we develop throughout our lives. As a Scout, look at the rich heritage of heroes in Scouting over its 110-year history. Make it your goal to add your name to that list.

Scouting Out of Uniform is a personal blog based on the lessons learned from Scouting that relate to personal development and success principles and is not an official site of The Boy Scouts of America. John Patrick Hickey does not represent or speak for the Scouting program; however, he does completely support and encourages Scouting for both young and old. John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, Personal Development Coach, and proud Scouter. To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business, or group, visit our website at www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2020 John Patrick Hickey

Duty to God