“No words can do justice to their courage and their cheerfulness.  To be brave cheerily, to be patient with a glad heart, to stand the agonies of thirst with laughter and song, to walk beside Death for months and never be sad- that’s the spirit that makes courage worth having.  I loved my men.”  - Lord Robert Baden-Powell

Being able to keep a smile on your face, even in the midst of adversities, is truly admirable.  Think of a time when you just weren’t having fun.  Say, for example, camping in a rain storm and everything inside the tent got soaked.  Were you angry?  Did someone try to cheer you up?

Even though times may be tough, a cheerful company lightens up the atmosphere.  Remember, attitude is very important.

“A Scout follows the rules of his family, school and troop.  He obeys the laws of his community and country.  If he thinks these rules and laws are unfair, he tries to have them changed in an orderly manner rather than disobey them.” – The Scout Handbook

Obedience is a vital part of being a Scout.  What do you think happens if you disobeyed your Scout Leaders?  When given a directive to do something, it often means that it is very important and that you should do it.  If you don’t, things will not get done and you are left with disorganization.

But obedience does not mean that you should mindlessly obey every order.  If you obey every order without reasoning through, then you may in fact be doing something wrong or illegal.  You should think about what you are asked to do, and if you believe that you need an explanation for the task, you should ask for reasoning.  If you believe there is a better way to resolve a problem, bring it up.  If you are not dealing with an emergency, maybe it’s best that you seek additional advice from others.

It is important to obey orders, but it is even more important to know why you should obey them.

The Words of Wisdom Wednesday series is composed of anecdotal segments to inspire and supplement a Scout’s personal development, building core values and moral character.

“An animal has been made by God just as you have been. He is therefore a fellow creature. He has not the power of speaking our language, but can feel pleasure or pain just as we can, and he can feel grateful to anyone who is kind to him.” – Sir Robert Baden-Powell

Sounds familiar?  Sure it does.  The Golden Rule states: “One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself.”  You can also find it in the Bible: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” [Matthew 7:12]  Think of how you felt when someone treated you badly.  Now think of how you felt when you were treated with kindliness.

When you are kind to others, they feel good about you.  When others are sad, sometimes it only takes some kindhearted deeds to cheer them up.  And after all, if you can put a smile on someone’s face, you feel happy yourself too!