Are each of the12 Points of equal importance?

[Trevorum]

 

In another thread, we were discussing the relative importance of the 12 points of the Scout Law. The question arose as to whether all 12 points are of equal importance in the development of character, or if some are more important than others.

 

TRUSTWORTHY

LOYAL

HELPFUL

FRIENDLY

COURTEOUS

KIND

OBEDIENT

CHEERFUL

THRIFTY

BRAVE

CLEAN

REVERENT

 

 

Are some more important?

 

 

 

(This message has been edited by Trevorum)

[scottteng]

All are of equal importance. All may not be as challenging to the individual as the one he is having trouble with at the moment. The focus will tend to be on the squeaky wheel. For example my present challenge is with cheerful I am by nature a grouchy person and I have trouble being cheerful.

[John-in-KC]

To my way of thinking, yes.

 

Now, as Scott said, do I have a particular emphasis or challenge "of the moment?" Equally, yes.

 

It's called life...

[evmori]

Short answer - no.

 

Long answer - nope.

[FScouter]

Maybe we ought to eliminate 1 or 2, or maybe add another.

Is this a board of review?

[packsaddle]

I agree with Ed. I'm trying my best NOT to make a habit of this.

[fgoodwin]

I think the twelve points are equally important -- but I know that certain ones receive more attention than the others, just as not all of the "Methods" receive equal emphasis.

[Beavah]

just as not all of the "Methods" receive equal emphasis

 

Yah, I wonder...

 

Would a troop sponsored by the Quakers put a greater emphasis on Friendly?

 

Would a troop sponsored by da Optimists put a greater emphasis on Cheerful?

 

If your town's major employer is a home products/soaps manufacturer, do yeh emphasize Clean?

 

I reckon most of us parents would have liked to emphasize Obedient at one point or another, eh?

 

 

Just like Outdoors Method ranges from car camping to troops that climb Kilimanjaro, I figure units set their own store by the Oath and Law. Either accordin' to their mission, or according to what they need to emphasize to their kids at the time. I know one SM who busts out the "Friendly" SM Minutes during Crossover, and "Thrifty" before the troop fundraiser.

 

Beavah

 

[Eamonn]

My take on this.

The Scout Oath reads:

 

On my honor I will do my best

To do my duty to God and my country

and to obey the Scout Law;

To help other people at all times;

To keep myself physically strong,

mentally awake, and morally straight.

 

I see the words "On my" and "I And "My" again!

This to me gives ownership of the oath to the person making it.

Only they know if they are doing their best to obey the Scout Law.

As owners it is up to them to decide which point is most important to them or if they want to treat them all as being equal.

Some of us at times might have a much harder time keeping one point than the others, some just seem to fall into place.

Having said all that for me the most important point is Kind, My thinking being that if I can be kind most of the others do fall into place.

Needless to say some days I more kind than others.

As long as the person making the Oath has ownership, no one else should worry or try to pass judgments on what point they decide or don't decide to make most important.

Eamonn.

[MarkS]

Depends on what you're doing at the moment. For example, you should probably be REVERENT rather than CHEERFUL if you're a pallbearer at a funeral.

[acco40]

In the eyes of the BSA, probably not. To an individual like myself, yes. And, just in case anyone really wanted to know, the answer 917 angels can dance on the head of a pin.

[packsaddle]

Trevorum, all of a sudden I realized that without explanation, a simple yes or no answer could be interpreted both ways. The subject asks one question...are they equal? And then in your post you ask the opposite...are some more important?

This is really confusing.

[acco40]

Was it Animal Farm that stated that all animals were equal, it was just that some animals were more equal than other?

[wearrepair]

This may sound a bit dumb, but I think of a round plastic sheet full of water which is held up by 12 lines. If you slack off on one, you will lose a little water. Jim

[allangr1024]

I give this explanation of the moral code we follow to parents:

 

In our culture (Western) we are taught the difference between virtue and vice. Vice is somewhat easy to define, but virtue, and virtues, are not. We first of all list the virtues that we deem important, then describe them, and then we need to find examples of people who have excelled at the virtues that we list, since a picture is better than a thousand words. Then we must take a step back and ask ourselves, what does the building of virutes accomplish? The answer is to produce a whole man, a good man, a capable man.

 

I hate it when troops brush over the tenderfoot requirement to describe the scout law and oath. Most of the time that means memorize them. I like to get the boys to take one of the points of the scout law, and write a short story about it, or a song, or a drama, or a cartoon; something to show that they can identify it and express it in some create way. I get a lot of insight into my guys this way.