Boy Scout Troop 325
Scoutmaster Minute
Second Class Badge
Nov 27, 2007 (COH)
Donald Elliott, Eagle Scout and former Scoutmaster of Troop 47

The Second Class Badge which I just presented to Griffin has three parts:

     The scroll which is turned up at the ends like a smile.

     The knot at the bottom which is a reminder to do a good turn daily, and

     The words of the scout motto - “Be Prepared”.

Those words are the most important of the three parts - maybe even the most important words in scouting.  We tend to think of being prepared in terms of emergencies such as accidents or earthquakes.  But being prepared is important too for good events like being elected Patrol Leader or having a vacation in Hawaii.

“Be Prepared” really means thinking about the future and learning what you need to know to deal with both surprises  and planned events.

That’s why it’s important to learn about first aid, safety, earthquake response, and other skills useful in meeting emergencies or preventing them from happening in the first place.  Then there are skills such as swimming, cooking, and camping which not only help in emergencies, but are fun too.

Finally there are planned or “non-surprise” events like getting a new computer or graduating from high school. Knowing what to do in advance of these long sought happenings makes it more fun when they go off without a hitch and let you turn your attention to getting ready for those even better times ahead. 

Those of you who have reached First Class can really smile just like the upturned ends of the scroll because you are already  prepared for many of the things which life will throw at you without warning or which will come because you yourself wanted them to happen and worked hard to make them do so.