Amelia Erhart said, “No kind action ever stops with itself. One kind action leads to
another. Good example is followed. A single act of kindness throws out
roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.
The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them
kind themselves”.
I remember when I was in Cub Scouts and it was around Thanksgiving. The Scoutmaster told us that we should begin thinking about ways of demonstrating that a Scout is kind and how we might demonstrate that to others as Christmas time approached… He told us we could visit a toy store, but instead of picking out something for ourselves, we were to choose a toy to donate for a kid of the same age. Another way of demonstrating kindness the Scoutmaster suggested was that we could provide warm clothing for those less fortunate during the winter months by organizing a coat drive, or by donating a coat we didn’t use anymore to someone less fortunate than ourselves. Another suggestion of demonstrating kindness was making up a batch of your chocolate chip cookies and share them with an elderly neighbor who might be alone for long stretches during the holidays. This was my favorite as I (and another Scouter friend, with our mom's help) visited Mrs. McDonald next door and shared our cookies and chatted with her. Another suggestion for showing kindness to others at Christmastime was to go to a nursing home and sing carols to the residents (we ended up doing this one as a group). One last idea of showing how a Scout was kind was to volunteer to help out in our local homeless shelter by serving a meal to those less fortunate.
Scouts, our Law say’s "A Scout is kind. A Scout understands that there is strength in being gentle. He treats others as he wants to be treated. He does not hurt or kill harmless things without reason. " Some of you may already be hunters. No doubt others will hunt as you get older. I have a question for you: Is a hunter following the Scout Law when he shoots wild creatures? It seems to me that the keywords in this point of the Law are, "without reason," a Scout does not hurt or kill without reason. If you're going hunting for food, or to kill pests that are destroying property or are hunting animals that are dangerous to man, you're not hunting without reason. So you are not violating the Scout Law. But never aim at a target you don't intend to hit. And if your target is a living creature, be sure you're not killing it without reason. A Scout is kind, and he does not blast away just for fun. He shoots only for good reason.
This time of year no matter what holiday you celebrate, remember that doing your best every day and living the Scout Oath and Law is what really makes each of you a Boy Scout! Please share how your Scouts demonstrate kindness to others in the comment box below, we'd love to hear from you!
