Monday, August 31, 2020
Friday, August 28, 2020
Thursday, August 27, 2020
The Art of Thinking
If asked to describe Scouting with one word, a couple of the
top words would be fun (always the number one word about Scouting) and learning.
I have another that is of equal importance, and yet you may not find it on the
list at all. That word is think. One of the top goals of Scouting is to help
young people to think for themselves. Scouting teaches problem-solving and how
to think quickly in an emergency. Scouts are taught how to be of service to
others and to be ready for anything.
The main goal is to help every Scout to learn how to think
for themselves. The famous anthropologist Margaret Mead said, “Children must be
taught how to think, not what to think.” Here is the challenge that our young
people face today. Media, social and news, along with movies, TV video games,
and YouTube, and even our schools are all geared to teach our young people what
to think, not how to think.
“The secret of
sound education is to get each pupil to learn for himself, instead of
instructing
him by driving knowledge into him on a
stereotyped system.”
Sir Robert Baden-Powell
1857-1941
Founder of The Boy Scouts
This can be seen in their lack of understanding of history—the
absents of any teaching in basic civics or the function of government. I think
you do not have to look very hard to see that the young people of today are in
a thinking crisis. There is a reason for this. It is straightforward. People
who do not think are easy to control. Now before you go off and accuse me of
some conspiracies nonsense, may I ask you to take an honest look at what you
young people are learning – or not learning – and go from there.
The ability to think for ourselves, to make up our minds
about life, is the most powerful tool we have as humans. Please do not assume
that your young people will pick this up on their own; they won’t. Could you
help them to think? Give them good and honest information and then allow them
to make up their mind on what they choose to believe. They may get things wrong
at first, but as they grow, so will their choices and decisions. Do not leave
their education to others. It is our responsibility to help our young learn,
grow, and become great thinkers.
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
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Taking a Stand
One life lesson that all Scouts must learn is that to do
right is not something done by the group but done by the person. Former U.S.
President Calvin Coolidge said, “Duty is not collective, it is personal.” You,
the individual, are responsible for doing right whether everyone else does or
not. The excuse that nobody else is doing it will never fly with this one.
One of the collective goals of all Scouts is that we help
make the world a better place. At the same time, we understand that to achieve
that goal; it must begin with each of us as individuals. The fact is you or I
cannot change anyone else. We cannot force them to be a better person or be
honest or do their duty. We can only see that we do it. The good news is that
as each of us, as we do what is right, we increase the number of people living
right by one. Those add up, and soon we are the significant influence in the
world and not those people who would destroy or corrupt it.
“Every right
implies a responsibility; every opportunity and obligation, every possession, a
duty.”
John D. Rockefeller
1839-1937
Businessman
Abraham Lincoln said, “Be sure to put your feet in the right
place and stand firm.” As a Scout, you must not only do right; you must stand
for what is right. It is our responsibility to be the one who encourages others
to live right and oppose those who would do wrong. To not stand firm is to fail
at our responsibility. Ignoring wrongdoing has as much consequence as doing
wrong. Former President Ronald Reagan (must be on a President theme here) said,
“To sit back hoping that someday,
someway, someone will make things right is to go on feeding the crocodile,
hoping he will eat you last – but eat you he will.”
We can all list all the wrongs we see in the world today. We
complain and shake our heads at how things seem to be going downhill. Face it,
my friends, fussing will do nothing to change things. If our society is to
change, it must start with us. It is our responsibility to live lives of
honesty, integrity, wholesomeness, and honor. All these things may seem out of
step with today’s world but are, in fact, the key to a better life for all how
you live matters, not only to you but also to all of us. If we, as individual
Scouts, live right, we can see the world changed for the better.
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
