Changing Values?

[Eamonn]

In another post the topic of values was brought up.

I had said that I was of the opinion that Values change and are changing.

Others in these forums took me to task.

Don't think that I'm crying over this. I'm not.

I like to think that I have spend most of my life living or trying to live up to the Scout Oath and Law.

Having been in two Scouting Organizations the words have been a little diferent but to my thinking they have said the same thing.

While we are all members of the same organization (The BSA) We all say the same words. However your take on them might not be the same as mine. You might think that one Scout Law carries more weight then another and again we might not agree.

When we see the kind of things that our youth members are exposed to in the media can they but help have a different set of values then we have?

Are your values different then those of your parents?

Please refrain from putting anyone down. Your values are yours and just because they are not mine does not make you or anyone else right or wrong.

Eamonn

[matuawarrior]

Our youths are exposed to the media everyday. With the internet, they receive so much more information than when I was their age. I don't know how they can manage the information overload. I somewhat feel that the media is a big part of the shift in Values per se.

 

I, myself, am more conservative than my parents. But that also falls into each of our cultural backgrounds.

 

I don't think that Scouting's Values have changed. It seems more like the interpretation on the parts of the Scout Oath or the points of the Scout Law are decided on a slide rule on what may pertain to different Scouters at a particular time in their lives.

 

There are Scouters among us that pick and choose what will work for them. They see gray areas in the Scout Oath and Law. Then there are those of us who only see black and white. It's either you do or you don't.

 

Some of us may see the Scouting Movement as an extracurricular activity. Just to keep their sons busy through the week or their just there to have Fun and nothing more.

 

I see it as my way of life. To me Scouting is a Life Style not a Label. When was the last time many of us shook hands on a major deal based on our Honor? Many will say, not in this life time. And Why not?

 

THEN, there is one aspect of our Scouting Values that I see many Scouters look the other way or they feel that they should not get involved in.

Our Duty to God and the 12th point of the Scout Law--A Scout is Reverent. All we have to do is Encourage our Youths to learn more about their Faith. Encourage Prayer before meals and at the start and end of each day.

 

It's boils down to how we were raised and the key people that influenced us in our lives, and how they managed to train us to think and do, what we are today.

 

That's the great thing about Scouting because we are so diverse and each of us brings so much to the table to learn from each other. I may not agree with some but I also agree with many. That's a good thing. Who knows I maybe wrong.

 

Matua

[Fat Old Guy]

" see it as my way of life. To me Scouting is a Life Style not a Label. When was the last time many of us shook hands on a major deal based on our Honor?"

 

Depends on what you consider major. I signed the contract for my new roof after the job was completed. I do business with my clients without contracts. I say that I'll do the work, they say they'll pay. The only time that I've been burned was dealing with a local governement. Foolish me, I thought that I could trust the government :-(

[saltheart]

"Are your values different then those of your parents?"

 

No. My values are the same as theirs. And my sons hold true to the same. And all of us base our values on the same thing....common sense.

 

And, of course, common sense is nothing less than....

 

 

....genius....in working clothes.

 

 

(Aaarrrgh...if only that 'genius' could spell...)(This message has been edited by saltheart)

[dsteele]

My values are somewhat different than my parents. Of course there are striking similarities, but my values are indeed different.

 

I'm not talking about views -- the way we see things and our political and other opinions -- those are different than values, although there's usually a value at the base of the view.

 

I also think that the biggest and most re-curring arguments are those that occur as a symptom of conflicting values that are widely held. I'm thinking of the abortion arguments and the BSA standards of membership.

 

I also think personal values shift in importance over time and change, even within ourselves based on new experiences. If 18 year old David J. Steele were to meet 38 year old Dave Steele, we would have a pretty good argument over some values that have changed over the years. 18 year old David J. Steele wouldn't have taken kindly to people calling him Dave just as Dave takes mild offfense when someone knowingly calls him David.

 

DS

[acco40]

Of course what we value changes as we grow older. All anyone has to do is have children to find that out. Now, should societal values and morals change with time, most would say no. What is right and wrong now, in the past and in the future will always be the same. It is our human perception in what these values should be that changes.

 

That being said, I abhor the BSA phrase "traditional values" because it is a marketing slogan that has no concrete definition. It is just more "feel good" to me. What society has problems with now is technology outpacing ethics. If we have a medical cure for a single individual that has a monetary cost for all to bear, what should we do? If some one is in such pain and agony that they do not wish to continue living, do we kep them alove by artificial means? No simple answers.