1              Introduction

Values are what set our conduct in life. The Boy Scout Oath, Law, Motto, and Slogan are core values for the development of upright individuals. Interestingly, its short lines are shared and uttered by all scouts world wide, in many languages. A lot of wisdom can be extracted from its abstract, yet to the point sentences.

In 2007, when I was a Scoutmaster for BSA Troop 99, responsible for the personal development of a small group of teenage youth in my neighborhood in Naperville, IL, I was contemplating what the Boyscout of America advertize as Timeless Values. I started to compile my reflections on the Scout Oath and Law, that we teach the young men in our troop. I didn’t have a chance to complete it at that time and publish it. Now, being free from that duty, I would like to share with you my reflections for the sole purpose of empowering the reader, youth and adults, to refocus on living the common esteemed values articulated in the scouting principles.

I would like to go even further to request your contributions to aggregate the knowledge embedded in the diverse community, and disseminate the outcome around. Better understanding of scouting values, commonly shared among cultures, will make a difference in the life of many more youth and adults, as it has already impacted me, my family, my community, and every person I get in touch with.

2              Scout Oath (or Promise)

    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. 

What is an Oath? What does Honor mean to you? What do you think about when you say I, and My? Let’s take the Scout Oath and dissect it to understand its meanings, and then put it into application.

2.1        What is an Oath?

An oath is a formal, serious, dignified, and a sincere promise, usually invoking divine witness (God), regarding one’s future action or behavior[1].

When you give the scout oath, or any other oath for God’s sake, you are not cheering, or smiling…It is serious business. You are developing your personal responsibility and accountability. You are looked at as a mature person who talks the talk and walks the walk. Everyone takes you for your word, expects to see you acting accordingly, and believes that you can and will do what you said. So “fill in your garments” as a responsible person who could be counted on.

2.2        What Does Honor Mean to You?

I have a good guess for what your answer will be. Most of the youth give the very obvious  “self respect”, “trust”, and “keeping one’s word” definitions; these are valid responses. Interestingly, I heard from some late-teens and early twenty venture crew members  “We are trying to know what honor is, and we don’t have a good answer for it yet.”  This is normal; it is just a reflection of the stage in youth where young men and women are in pursuit for their souls and identities, as well as need for life knowledge.

There are several lexical meanings that could be found, at your fingertips, from the abundance of online dictionaries and encyclopedias, or bundled within your computer’s applications, and of course the paper versions, typically collecting dust, on bookshelves in everyone’s house. To list a few meanings, honor could mean: personal integrity, respect, reputation, source of pride, mark of distinction, great privilege, men’s code of integrity, or dignity of high position. You need to pay close attention to the different meanings; together they paint a big picture of the personality living this characteristic.

Expanding on some of the above terms, honor is a strong moral character or strength, and adherence to ethical principle, personal dignity that sometimes leads to recognition and glory[2]. Or, it is the evaluation of a person’s trustworthiness and social status based on that individual’s traditions, belief, and actions[3]. This could be good enough information to understand the word. It overwhelms because of the many meaning it could take.  To make it simple, I would like to share with you is the following definition which comes from my culture background:

Your honor is your status in the universe, and high position God Almighty has given you as the prime of His creation.

Why this definition? Since scouting has a faith component in its teaching, let’s fall back to some of it. The rationale is God has created our forefather Adam with His own hands, breathed into him from His Spirit, taught him all the names (knowledge), commanded the Angles to prostrate before him (a sign of high status over and above these pure creatures), created him and his offspring for a purpose—to be God’s  vicegerents and stewards on Earth—He carried us in the earth and in the sea, provisioned us from all good things, subjected what is in the heavens and earth to us, and has given us from all what we asked Him for.

We can dive in the sea, float over its surface, dig into the earth for its natural resources, fly in the air, we can even travel to outer planets. Just look around you and think. If we count the bounties of God, we’ll never be able to find a numerical representation for it.

Theretofore, when you give your word for something and take an oath, “On my Honor”, you start from this status and position as the “master of all creatures” that you give your word and promise to take, hold, carry, execute with personal responsibility the trust that has been given to you as God’s steward on earth.

With this understanding, you are a giant! Although small in size and weak in strength, but your spirit is so high that it is neither limited by time nor by space. Your spirit soars way higher than eagles; it goes beyond the small sized earth, and the limited time of our worldly life. This is what sound faith and understanding of self, and purpose in life brings to you.

Be wary, at the same time, that your honor shall not drive you into arrogance and false pride. Rather, it should lead you to humbleness, gratefulness, and reverence. Always remember what drove Satin out of God’s mercy was one of the worst traits anyone could ever have. Arrogance, pride, thinking big of oneself. Ego made Satin state the first sentence in racism towards Adam, when he states the reason to obey God’s command to prostrate to Adam, saying “I am better than him, You created me from fire, and created him from clay”. This attitude blinded Satan from the most important thing any creature should do…obeying God’s command. For we are nothing but slaves and servants to God; so we have to listen to and obey His commands. Therefore, understanding yourself and status shall not blind you from saying or doing the right things toward yourself and others.