Just words… Right?
If you have not listened to the two mp3 files in the previous posts.. STOP now and listen to them, then come back and read this one.
There are times in your life that you hear something, smell something, see something, that causes you to pause and evaluate. Either a memory or a feeling, or a way in which you want something to be.
Stumbling on the speeches by Rabbi Hyman and Admiral Carmona and hearing their message got me to thinking about Character and more specifically what makes up Character.
All organizations have what they call their Core Values. They are the set of Values that are to shape the people in the organization. Shape their attitudes and character to make the organization and those in it better. It is a simple philosophy that calls for the people in the organization to do what is right.
When I was in the Army, we were taught from the first day the Core Values of the Army. Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage.
These Values became a part of everyday life and a set of rules that we held each other in account with. They were shared by all, weather you came to the Army with them, or established your core once you got there. These values became the foundation of our lives. It drove us to never let the organization down and to do our best in everything we did. The values are a set of virtues that we adopted as a group that asked us to have Honor and Courage and to do what is right.
The Marines summed it up with “Semper Fidelis” (Always Faithful) with their Values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment. They share the same values which motivate a group to do what is right, not just for themselves, but more importantly for those around them. What are they faithful to? To the Marines? To the Country? To Each other? The answer… all of the above.
There is an understanding in the Core Values that there is something greater than themselves. That the good of the group and those that they serve are more important and deserve greater attention than person needs and wants.
Major Corporations also present a set of Core Values within their organizations. And they too are established to set a path for the members of the organization to succeed, to serve, and to share in living a life which guides them to do right.
For example, UPS’s values of integrity, diligence, innovation, courtesy, promptness, reliability and, yes, even appearance are the yardsticks by which every employee, product, and decision is measured.
And when the employees or members of an organization embrace the values, the people and organization are better.
And so it is within Scouting. From the beginning, Baden Powell taught the Scouts and Scout leaders the Values of Service, of Honor, of Duty to God and Country. Today we continue to teach and live the Values found within the Scout Oath and Law.
We ask that each member of our organization practice in their daily lives the core values of Duty to God and Country, to live the Scout Law, to help other people at all times and to keep the promises made about themselves; to keep themselves physically Strong, mentally awake, and morally Straight.
The Values that shape us a Scouts and Scouters; Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent cause the member to live a decent life. A life of service to others and a life that directs them to do what is right.
Weather they are found in the Army, the Marines, UPS, or the Boy Scouts of America, Core Values are the foundation, the building blocks, the bedrock of an organization and its members.
When those values are learned, developed, and practiced, the organization is better and the people within it become people of strong Character. And that leads others to respect and admiration.
Have a Great Scouting Day!
