The Singing Scoutmaster: Empty Cup, The

Scouts, there's an old story about a young man who visited a wise teacher. The young man talked and talked about everything he already knew, all his accomplishments, all his skills. The teacher listened quietly and began pouring tea into the young man's cup. The cup filled up, but the teacher kept pouring. Tea spilled over the rim, across the table, onto the floor. 'Stop!' the young man shouted. 'The cup is full - it can't hold any more!' The teacher smiled and said, 'You are like this cup. You are so full of what you already know that there is no room for anything new.'

As you advance in Scouting, you'll earn badges, learn skills, and gain experience that younger Scouts haven't. That's something to be proud of. But here's where humility becomes critical: the moment you decide you know enough, you stop growing. The most skilled outdoorsmen, the best leaders, the wisest people you'll ever meet all have one thing in common - they still consider themselves students.

Humility for older Scouts means being willing to learn from anyone - including a first-year Scout who might know something you don't. It means asking questions instead of always having answers. It means saying 'I don't know' when you don't, instead of bluffing your way through. There's incredible strength in that honesty.

Keep your cup empty. Not because you haven't learned anything, but because there's always more to learn. The Scout who stays teachable at fifteen, at eighteen, at thirty, will always grow further than the one who decided at twelve that they already knew it all. Humility isn't thinking less of yourself - it's being curious enough to know there's always another level.