December 4, 2004
Manchester, NH
Rev. Dr. Stuart C. Lord
Good evening to you all and thank you for asking me to be a part of the festivities this evening. It is a great honor for me to stand here before you to share my experiences as a Dean of the Tucker Foundation and Associate Provost at Dartmouth College, and as a Boy Scout.
As we all know, the Boy Scout organization provides young men like you the opportunity to push your limits as leaders and develop a sense of principles that will remain with you for the rest of your lives. They teach us to make ethical and moral choices over our lifetimes by instilling in us the values of the Scout Oath and Law. When someone asks me what characteristics best represent a Boy Scout, I can answer with simple one word responses. WE are Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, Reverent. I never appreciated the true meanings of these words before I became involved as a scout. I stand here now changed as a result of the lessons I learned and I would like to help you realize the power that scouting holds for us all.
Let me be honest with you for a moment. We have all had the experience of attending Boy Scout camp and I'm sure MOST of us enjoyed the experience. Can I see a show of hands for how many people enjoyed their time at Boy Scout camp? Not me. I cried my eyes out for the first two years I went to Boy Scout camp. The first year, I started crying the minute I was dropped off. I cried SO much that my parents had to come all the way back and pick me up to go back home. I grew up near NEW YORK CITY! Now all of a sudden I'm in the woods with no running water and animals! We had three or four trees in my whole neighborhood at home! This was a TOTALLY different world. The second year I went and I cried again! This time I decided to try and tough it out through the tears. I stuck with it at the urging of my peers and counselors. Let me tell you ... That was the BEST decision I ever made.
Why was it the best decision I ever made? Because it allowed me to learn more about myself than I ever thought was possible. I went to Boy Scout camp for eight years and I grew more as a person each of those years. I became staff and eventually became commissioner of Camp Siwanoy. To this day, if I'm driving in the car alone or walking across the campus of Dartmouth College I will burst out into song. I sing all of the old campfire tunes because I miss it that much! Not because I'm crazy but because the memories are priceless and they will stay with me forever.
Within all of the lessons we can all learn as Boy Scouts, the most valuable is by far the Order of the Arrow. My fondest memories of Boy Scout Camp involve the Order of the Arrow. Did you know that the Order of the Arrow was started almost 90 years ago? With longevity like that, it is no wonder we are such a strong organization. The Order of the Arrow serves four purposes.
- To recognize those Scout campers who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives
- To develop and maintain camping traditions and spirit
- To promote Scout camping
- To crystallize the Scout habit of helpfulness into a life purpose of leadership in cheerful service to others.
For me, the Order of the Arrow embodied the ultimate realization of being a Boy Scout. It embodied the following ideals:
Brotherhood - I know now that nothing is more important than to trust and utilize those around me for help and support.
Community - We are all part of a nationwide community of Boy Scouts, each
Citizenship - We are all stewards of our surrounding community. We are all responsible for the livelihood of that community.
Diversity - Understanding citizenship and community means dealing with and understanding diversity. Diversity is a necessary asset of any well-functioning group.
Family - In even a closely knit group of complete strangers, family bonds are made. I may not know you all personally, but we have a common respect for one another.
Service - A family does not function properly unless there are working parts whose service helps the whole operate smoothly.
Shared Work - We cannot do anything alone. That's what we learn in solitude and the Order of the Arrow, while self-sufficient as a single person, when the work is shared, a common goal is reached faster.
Teamwork - Shared work means teamwork. Teamwork means understanding how to work as several individuals striving for one goal. Learning to help each other along the way and pick each other up when there are pitfalls.
Leadership - In any team there is strong leadership to ensure a spectacular outcome. We learn that even a team of 20 people can still have 20 leaders each doing their part to drive the group's vision.
Hard work - It takes hard work to accomplish your goals and with hard work comes complete satisfaction. Satisfaction breeds repetition of good deeds.
Commitment - All of these factors have a driving force behind them. That driving force is commitment. If there is commitment in a group, community and family, then there is a worthwhile outcome.
Just think of all these phases that make up the Order of the Arrow and the larger Boy Scout community and how they uniquely benefit us. We maintain complete silence, receive small amounts of food, work on camp improvement projects, and we are required to sleep alone, apart from other campers. In this time of solitude we are forced to see who we truly are. As I passed through the phases of the Order of The Arrow, I began to understand the meaning of Scout-hood. I finally realized what it meant to be a part of something much bigger than myself. BUT, most importantly, I learned more and more about who I truly was as a person. I had been told who I was up until that point. This was my chance to find out who I was for myself.
It is very, very difficult to stay quiet for a long period of time. BUT, when we can stay silent long enough, the trivial worries of life fall away and we're left with our immediate survival and happiness to contemplate. WE can finally hear our true voice speaking to us.
My job at Dartmouth College now involves me spreading ideals and the joy of service. I enact the lessons I have learned through teaching our future leaders that becoming ethical and positively influential is the most potent way we can change the world. It all boils down to one basic ideal: PASSION! If you have passion for what you do, you take pride in it. When you take pride in your work others reap the benefits. And when others are affected they in turn reach out to help in their community and beyond. It all starts with YOU and YOUR PASSION for life, love and the global community of human beings. We are all interconnected as agents of change. We are all connected as members of the global community. WE are all responsible not only for ourselves, but the wellbeing of others! Before we can learn this however, we need to understand ourselves first.
When I walk into my office each morning to do my job as an agent of change in the world, I wear the lessons I learned as a Boy Scout proudly on my chest like giant merit badges. I am confident and strong as it helps me stay focused on my dreams and reminds me that nothing is out of reach. Nothing is out of reach if you approach it ethically, with a positive state of mind and with the intention of bettering the world around you.
In a day and age where news headlines remind us of the power hungry and the greedy throughout the world, Scouting continues to show us all how to remain compassionate, proud and respectful.
The lessons you learn now will remain with you as you all grow as men. We are all agents of change, and we found that in ourselves because of Scouting. Do not forget that! As you grow older reflect back and think of how being a Scout prepared you for the world ahead. Think of how it defines who you are. But most of all think back on how much fun you had and the relationships you made. And who knows, if you feel like it, you might even be moved enough to sing the old campfire songs at the top of your lungs for the world to hear.
I thank you for the opportunity you've given me to speak with you this evening. Enjoy life, live by just principles and remember YOU can change the world if you put the lessons you learn here to use.
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