To Obey The Scout Law (Scoutmaster Minute)

In the Scout Oath, we promise "to obey the Scout Law." Most laws have someone to enforce them. Speed limits have police officers. Games have referees. School rules have teachers and principals.

So who enforces the Scout Law?

Nobody. There's no Scout police. No referee blows a whistle when you aren't being kind. No one hands you a ticket for being unfriendly. If you break the Scout Law, most of the time nobody will ever know except you.

That's what makes this promise different. Listen to how the Law is written. It doesn't say, "A Scout should be trustworthy." It doesn't say, "A Scout must be helpful." It says, "A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful..." It isn't a list of rules someone handed you. It's a description of who you've decided to be.

So obeying the Scout Law isn't really about following orders. It's about living up to your own word. When you promised to obey it, you weren't promising a referee. You were promising yourself.

The next time you say the Law, pick one of the twelve points that you know you need to work on. Just one. Then spend this week being that, especially when nobody is watching.