A Scout is Brave

The tenth point of the Scout Law is Brave -- by definition, the polar opposite of fear. Although, I believe that both can be equally crippling. Being brave doesn't mean you're not afraid... bravery is actually to continue to move forward despite being afraid and frankly, it's something quite different for each and every one of us.

Bravery could mean something as simple as standing on top of the monkey bars to a young scout or signing your name on the line to dedicate your life serving in our nation's military. Bravery can be conquering Mt. Everest or having the courage to stand up before strangers to deliver a speech. It could be going away for the first time ever to camp without the creature comforts to which you've grown accustomed... to walking into the meeting of a brand new Pack and trying to make friends with people you don't know.

Bravery is saying no to the wrong thing.

Bravery can be having the courage to quit when you know the path by which you travel is not the one you intended. Listening to that inner voice rather than the masses of people that you may have surrounded yourself with.. is very brave.

Being okay with being different... is brave. Bravery is... showing up... in every sense of the word.

{I do have to put a disclaimer here though -- don't let me allow ANYONE to confuse being brave with being stupid because the internet is FULL of people doing really, REALLY stupid things that don't equate to an OUNCE of bravery.}

Thanks, I feel better now.

Every month in the Boy's Life magazine there is a feature called Scouts In Action. Many of their stories highlight scouts all over the world who showed bravery. Check out some of those stories the next time it arrives in your mailbox. In fact, here's a link to the site with the previously published Scouts in Action pages from the magazine.

So taking on the idea of bravery... did you know that a Scout can face danger even if he is afraid... that's being brave. Think of all the things people are afraid of. I'll bet that one of the top fears on more lists than you could even fathom is...

!! SNAKES !!

There are lots of people who believe that the only good snake is a dead snake but there couldn't be anything further from the truth. Snakes are beneficial to our ecosystem in more ways than you can imagine. The way to learn to be brave if you're afraid of them is by educating yourself to identify the venomous snakes you might come across so that when you see anything other, you can simply appreciate them (and... perhaps spray them with a water hose to get them to go away if you're still not a fan).  That might require an advanced degree in bravery, however. 

The Longhorn Council has one of the largest collections of king snakes in North America! Want to learn more, why not work Summer Camp at one of the Council camps... they always have snakes to help educate the younger scouts in attendance.

So, think about it, what can you do today to show how brave you are?