Courteous - Courtesy When You Disagree
| Category: | Scout Law |
|---|---|
| Notes: | Best for older Scouts. Good before a Patrol Leaders' Council or planning meeting, during an election season, or when arguments in the troop have been getting heated. Pairs with followership-disagreeing-the-right-way. |
It's easy to be courteous to people who agree with you. You nod, you smile, everybody's happy.
The real test of courtesy comes when someone says something you think is completely wrong.
Maybe it's at a patrol meeting, and someone wants a campout idea you think is terrible. Maybe it's about sports, or school, or something in the news. Your face gets hot, and you want to jump in, cut them off, and tell them exactly why they're wrong. Maybe even why they're dumb for thinking it.
That's when a Scout has a choice.
Being courteous doesn't mean pretending to agree. You can disagree completely. But you can do it in a way that respects the other person. Let them finish talking before you start. Listen to understand what they actually think, not just to find the part you can argue with. Talk about the idea, not the person. "I see it differently, and here's why" goes a lot further than "That's stupid."
And sometimes, if you really listen, you find out they had a point you hadn't thought about. That happens more often than people admit.
The world has plenty of people who shout at each other. It needs more people who can disagree and still treat each other with respect. That can be you.
A Scout is courteous, especially when it's hard.