2019-43 Four Commandments From The Great Spirit

There are four commandments for living every day:

1. Respect Mother Earth

2. Respect the Great Spirit

3. Respect your fellow men and women

4. Respect individual freedom

We must all stand together as a force of love. Arm yourself with truth, love, and perseverance. Join with others in giving. We are all related. Our heritage is this earth.

2019-42 Positive Attitude

Words could never adequately convey how great the impact our attitude can have on our lives. The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we respond to it. I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bank account, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitude is right, there’s no barrier too wide, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me.

2019-41 Sportsmanship

In 1940, an underdog Dartmouth football team played powerful Cornell, which needed only one more victory for a perfect season and a number-one ranking in the country. Trailing 3-0 Cornell scored a controversial touchdown that the Dartmouth players insisted was made on an extra ‘fifth down.’ However, the referee counted the touchdown, and Cornell won 7-3.

But after the game, Cornell officials watched the game on film and saw that indeed their team had been allowed an extra play. They immediately sent a telegram to Dartmouth stating that they could not accept the victory. It went into the record book as 3-0 victory for Dartmouth.

That little story tells us what sportsmanship really is. It is the desire to play hard and to win - but to win fairly - and if you lose, to accept defeat with good grace. Let’s remember that during our Scouting games and throughout our lives. Also remember, that to be a good sport you have to lose to prove it.

2019-40 A Bundle Of Sticks

Once there was a Scoutmaster who had a troop at camp. The first evening he heard one of the patrols arguing. The Scoutmaster walked to the trees and gathered a bunch of sticks and tied them together with a half hitch to form a bundle. The Scoutmaster then asked each one of the Scouts to break the bundle of sticks. Using all their might, none could break the bundle. Then the Scoutmaster untied the bundle of sticks and asked the Scouts to break each stick separately. With ease they broke every stick. The wise Scoutmaster said to the patrol, “the sticks tied together showed you that there is strength in unity.” As Scouts, we have the strength of the Pack or the Troop to rely on, and we should all stick together.

2019-39 It's Magic

You know, we are all magicians.

It doesn’t take a magic hat; it doesn’t take a magic wand. Magic is always present in our lives. The magic of a sunset, of a friend’s kind word or deed, or how we are loved and needed. These things can leave a magical feeling within us. The greatest way we can use the magic around us is by using it to quietly help others and not be so concerned about getting the credit. Maybe we can provide magic for others by doing small deeds that will make another person wonder who did the deed for them.

2019-38 Stay On The Right Track

There are many different kids of trains. Passenger trains that carry you through this great country, freight trains that haul goods to consumers like you, and even tourist trains that show you what riding a train was like many years ago.

All of these trains are different, yet they have something in common, they all run on tracks. A train, as large and powerful as it is, can’t go anywhere without tracks to guide it.

Like these trains, we are all different. But we all need tracks to guide us too. These tracks are faith, love, and service. Let’s pledge to do our best to stay on the right track. Show your faith by living religious or spiritual principles. Show your family and friends how much you love and appreciate them through you words and deeds. Give cheerful service to all you meet. Stay on the right track and you’ll go far.

2019-37 RASKals

R - Random
A - Acts
of
S- Simple
K- Kindness

Performing random acts of kindness is pretty basic. Being kind doesn’t take a lot of planning or effort. “Do unto others” and “Turn the other cheek” should not just be advice, but a way to live your life. By your deeds of kindness, you can help turn good behavior into even more good. A person who performs a random act of simple kindness is called a RASKal.

2019-36 Parable Of The Mule

This parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule “praying”—or whatever mules do when they fall into wells.

After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together, told them what had happened and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, he could shake it off and step up! This he did, blow after blow. “Shake it off and step up . . . . Shake it off and step up . . . . Shake it off and step up!” He repeated it to encourage himself.

No matter how painful the blows, or how distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought panic and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up! It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well! What seemingly would bury him actually helped him, all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

That’s life! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity. The problems that come along to bury us usually have within them the very potential to benefit us . . . and benefit Scouting, too!

2019-35 The Eagle and the Chickens

There once was a young scout that was walking down a trail and discovered an eagles egg had fallen out of it’s nest. The young scout looked up and saw that the nest was too high to return the egg. So, the scout placed the egg in a nearby chickens nest. The egg eventually hatched and the little eagle became part of the family. The mother hen treated the little eagle exactly the same as the other chicks and taught the young eagle how to find worms and grubs for food. The young eagle thought that it was another chicken among chickens. When it came time to learn how to fly, the young eaglet did as mother hen taught and only flew a few feet at a time.

And then one day, a little older now, while pecking for worms and grubs, the eagle looked up to the sky and noticed a beautiful and majestic bird soaring high in the sky.

“Who is that!? And what is that?!” The eagle asked the chickens. “Oh, that is an eagle. They are birds of the sky. We are chickens, and we are birds of the ground.”

The Eagle, after seeing that majestic bird in the sky, had a longing desire that had always been there. The Eagle realized that a decision was to be made. The decision was, “do I continue to go on with life as I have always lived it? Or do I do whatever it takes to fly like that eagle?” And so the decision was made, to fly.

And the Eagle’s life was changed forever.

Along your path of scouting, from cub scouts and the ranks of boy scouts, you are learning the ways to become an eagle. When the moment is right, spread your wings and fly with the Eagles.

2019-34 Givers And Takers

One of America’s greatest conservationists, Aldo Leopold, said in his book A Sand County Almanac: “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, but He is no longer the only one to do so. When some remote ancestor of ours invented the shovel, he became a giver. He could plant a tree. And when the axe was invented, he became a taker; he could chop it down.” Thus each of us possesses the power to create or to destroy. Let’s use this power wisely for the good of our country and all humankind.

2019-33 Aim At Something High

“In the long run, men hit only what they aim at. Therefore, though they might fail immediately, they had better aim at something high.”

That quote is from Walden, by Henry David Thoreau. Remember the troop shoot at the rifle range this past summer? You hit the target only if you aimed at it. Well, Thoreau realized that this is true in life, also. Whatever your goals are, you won’t achieve them unless you aim for them. You might completely miss the mark on your first few shots, but as you practice and gain knowledge, and experience, and control, you’ll become a better marksman, able to consistently hit your target.

And set a high goal for yourself. Those who have reached the rank of Eagle Scout in this troop will tell you that they decided early to aim for Scouting’s highest rank, and then they kept that target in their sights until they hit it.

2019-32 God's Creations

God created families. He also created our beautiful world for us to enjoy and care for. We have fun doing things together as families and in Cub Scouting. We have many opportunities to work and play together. Cub Scouting, our families, and God’s beautiful outdoors have provided us with many adventures. Let us be thankful for all of these.

2019-31 Hot Cocoa

At a jamboree trading post a Scout had spread out his collection of trinkets, including some fine beadwork, neckerchief slides, and badges. At a snack bar nearby, a lady picked up her cup of hot cocoa, but instantly found it too hot to handle. She juggled it for several seconds, and then lost control. The cocoa drenched the Scout’s prize collection of beautiful souvenirs. But there was no burst of angry protest—not even a rueful glance at the thoroughly ruined display. Instead, this real Scout was instantly on his feet inquiring anxiously of the startled and dismayed lady, “Did you burn yourself, ma’am?”

See what we mean when we speak of Scout spirit helping us to think of other people before we think of ourselves?

2019-30 Strong And Healthy

Cub Scouts keep themselves strong and healthy, not just for their own sake but so that they can be a more useful citizen. When you are physically fit, you can be more helpful to those around you. Keep up the good work, Cub Scouts.

2019-25 The Men Who Signed The Declaration of Independence

Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Take a couple of minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots.

2019-22 Play Fair

What is good sportsmanship? You might say it is being a good loser. That’s part of it. Nobody likes to lose. But when you do lose, you should grin and bear it. Don’t complain about bad luck or wrong decisions by the officials. Just make up your mind to do better next time.

But there’s more to good sportsmanship than being a good loser. It also means playing fair. A good sport does not cheat. They play by the rules, even if they know that they could cheat and get away with it. You will never know if you are good at something unless you follow the rules.

A good sport plays hard. They play to win - but to win fairly. Remember, whether you win or lose at any event, you are all winners in life.

2019-21 Giving

In Israel, there are two major bodies of water. Both of these bodies of water are fed by the waters of the River Jordan. One is the Sea of Galilee, which is full of fish and is surrounded by lush vegetation and trees. It is a living body in every sense. The other is the Dead Sea. There is nothing green there, there are no fish, and the sea is stagnant and dead. The difference is that the Sea of Galilee overflows. For every gallon of water that flows into the sea, a gallon is given up and is passed on downstream. It is constantly renewing itself. It gives as much as it takes.

The Dead Sea, on the other hand, because of its geography, only takes. It gives up nothing. The water there is never cleansed; it stagnates and dies. And everything depending on it dies also. Some people say that there are two kinds of people in the world—those who constantly give of themselves (who help other people at all times), and those who only take.

Which kind are you?

2019-20 Be Prepared For What?

Scouts, every one of you can tell me, without thinking, what the two words on the Second Class pin are. That’s right, “Be prepared.”

There is a story of a Scout in Oklahoma. His younger sister went too near a gas heater and instantly her clothes were in flames. The father and his 13-year-old Scout-trained son rushed up the stairs to try to help. Remembering his first-aid work, the Scout knew what to do and he did it immediately. He grabbed a small rug and rolled the screaming child in it. He had been prepared.

In a moment he had smothered the flames and prevented serious injury to the child. “Thank God my son is a Scout,” the boy’s father told the Scoutmaster. “He knew what to do while I stood confused.” That’s what it means to be prepared.

Once someone asked Baden-Powell, “Be prepared — for what?” “Why, for any old thing!” he replied.

2019-14 Happiness

Here’s a quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin:

“Happiness is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur every day.” I know some adults who are wasting away their lives, and their money, waiting for the day when they’ll “hit it big” in the state lottery. All they think they need is to win a million bucks, and then they’ll be happy. The problem is, of course, that day is highly unlikely ever to happen for them.

Ben Franklin suggests a much surer thing: Grab onto those little advantages that come your way every day. Perhaps it’s your patrol leader offering to teach you some knots you’ll need for Second Class; on the surface it’s not a big thing, but take advantage of the offer—it’ll make you a little bit better Scout than you were before.

By steadily improving your Scoutcraft skills, by working toward the next rank, one requirement at a time, you’ll gradually work yourself into a position in which you’re prepared to go for some of the big things in Scouting— like Philmont or a high-adventure trek.

2019-13 Win By Losing

Actor and martial arts expert Chuck Norris knows that “might” does not always mean “right”. He explains:

Not long ago, after a day of filming my television series, I went alone to a small Texas cafe. As I sat in a corner booth, a large man towered over me and said with an edge to his voice that I was sitting in his booth. I didn’t like his tone or his implicit threat, but I said nothing and moved to another booth. A few minutes later, though, the big fellow was headed back in my direction. Here he comes, I thought, a local tough out to make a name for himself by taking on Chuck Norris in a fight.

When he arrived at my new booth, he looked directly at me. “You’re Chuck Norris,” he said. I nodded.

“You could have whipped me good back there a few minutes ago,” he said. “Why didn’t you?”

“What would it have proved?” I asked.

He thought that over for a moment and then offered me his hand. “No hard feelings?” he said.

“None,” I said, and shook his hand.

I had avoided a confrontation and made a friend. I had won by losing.