"Doing nothing is the same as condoning the activity. "

[Eamonn]

"Doing nothing is the same as condoning the activity."

I'm not sure I agree with this.

There have been lots of times when I have witnessed (Seen with my own eyes) Things that I know are not right.

As a District Commissioner I was invited to attend unit activities where it was clear that some rule /guideline was not being followed or that the Methods for that particular section were not being used.

Many times I seen myself as a guest of that unit and I choose not to do anything at that time.

Sometimes I did do something at a later time!! Which I suppose does amount to "Doing Something".

But very often what I did might not have been seen to address what I had witnessed.

For example I might have had a word with the R/T Commissioner to find a way of bringing or covering that area at a R/T meeting.

Of course some "Sins" are bigger than others and do need to be dealt with at that time and place.

Some can be left on the back burner until the right time, place and opportunity presents itself.

Sometimes even if I personally don't like what I witness and am aware that it isn't what should be done, I'm careful to pick my battles. This in no way means that I condone it.

Maybe it just means I'm being lazy?

 

Very often a lot of "Wrong Doings" only come to light when people are at odds and seem to be out to get each other.

We had this happen in the District.

A very weak Troop had a not so wonderful SM.

The local Pack which for a long time had also been weak was turned around by having a husband and wife team come on board.

When the time came for the son of the Cubscouters to cross over, Dad the CM, decided that he'd move to the Troop. The local Volunteer Fireman's club who chartered the Troop was happy with this, so he became the ASM.

The SM had served as SM for a very long time. He had been a founding member of the local Volunteer Fire company and was highly respected in the community. One reason why he wasn't such a wonderful SM was due to the fact that he was spread a little too thin, trying to do too much.

It soon became very clear that the SM and the new ASM were like oil and water, they just were unable to get along and work together.

Things got so out of hand that at times it seemed that there were two Troops meeting at the same time in the same place.

The Lads who had crossed over with the new ASM and the Lads who had been there before he arrived.

Soon all sorts of accusations of wrong doings were flying.

One of these was that the SM was after the Scouts had all left and gone home going up-stairs to the social club in uniform and having a couple of beers.

Of course I would never condone such a thing.

But it seems that he had been doing this for a very long time. The President of the Fire Company was one of his close pals and the units Executive Officer.

When I found out it was happening, I did discuss it with the other members of the Key 3 and we decided not to take any action.

This by no means in any way meant that we thought what he was doing was right.

After a little while the SM did step aside, the ASM is the SM and he doesn't visit the social club after the meetings.

Eamonn.