Andy at "Ask Andy" writes:
In 1931, Jane Addams, founder of Hull House, received the Nobel Peace
Prize; she was 91 at the time.Former US President Jimmy Carter is
also a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize; he was 78 when he received
it. Theodore Roosevelt, the only US President to receive this
recognition while in office, was a mere 48 on receipt. But he wasn't
the youngest. Lech Walesa was a mere 40 in 1983, when he received it;
and Martin Luther King, Jr. was a babe of 35 when he received it.
Should the NPP committee have held these latter three recognitions back
for another two or three decades, so that the recipients' ages were
more in line with others? The answer is, of course, No. Why? Because
they'd "done the work."
I know a young man
who will graduate from a major Ivy League university with a Masters
degree at age 19. Shouldn't the university have tried to slow him
down, to make him wait, to stall him, till he turns 24 or 25 or so? Of
course not! Why? Because he' done the work.
There are, in the
military, young generals and old generals, and in some cases very old
generals. How does this happen? It happens when they are considered
qualified by dint of having done the work, regardless of their age.
But
what sets all of these apart from the ranks in Scouting's advancement
program is that, in these cases, someone else must decide that the
work's been done; in Scouting, this is virtually entirely up to the
individual Scout. This is perhaps why there's only one Eagle Scout
Rank Application, and not separate applications for "Young Eagle" or
"Old Eagle." When the work has been done, it's the work that is
evaluated; not the age.
The
Boy Scout advancement program is unique in several ways. First, as
stated, it is based on individual effort and is achievable by one's own
vision and energies. Second, it is not mandatory in any sense of the
word: If a Scout wishes to earn this rank, there is nothing in the
Scouting program that can stand in his way; if he doesn't, Scouting
says that that's OK. Third, no one "confers" or "bestows" the rank of
Eagle (or any other rank, for that matter) on a Scout: He receives what
he has earned. Fourth and perhaps most significant, receiving of any
rank in Scouting by one individual is not determined by the judgment of
others: If the work has been completed, the rank has been earned.
It
is the responsibility of a troop's adult volunteers to encourage all
Scouts to advance in rank; it is not the responsibility of anyone to
decide who shall advance and who shall not, or what their respective
timetables will be.
Certain
ranks have tenures. Some people think these are to slow the Scout down
(so he can "mature," etc.). Actually, the purpose of the tenures is to
give the Scout the opportunity to put into practice what he's learned,
in a significant way.
Some people also think that "Eagle" is the
pinnacle of Scouting, the end of the road, the finish-line, in a manner
similar to earning a college degree. But, when pressed, these same
people will (perhaps reluctantly) agree that even college degrees go
beyond Bachelor, and even go beyond Doctor.. Yes, there are "Post-Doc"
educational opportunities! When we think of Eagle as the end of the
road, the tendency is to couple this thinking--however wrong--with the
fact that one's 18th birthday ends the Boy Scout experience as a youth,
and so we have young men who are encouraged to plan a seven-year
program from Tenderfoot to Eagle because of a misguided connection
founded on an inaccuracy.
Now
there's nothing inherently wrong with a seven-year program of progress,
but neither is there anything inherently wrong with a two-year program
of progress! It's all up to each individual Scout. The Boy Scout Handbook says so!
So much for age. Let's move on...
Is
rank advancement important? Yes it is, because this is one of the ways
boys become men: They steadily expand their knowledge, skills, and
outlook on life. However, advancement is but one-eighth of the methods
Scouting employs to accomplish the ultimate goal of imbuing boys with
the fiber of responsible, ethical manhood and citizenship. There are
seven other equally important methods by which Scouting attempts to do
this, from the outdoor program to association with positive adult role
models.
Is the rank of Eagle important? Yes it is, because it's
an achievable goal for every boy who enters the Boy Scout program. We
are taught in management that, when we set gaols for ourselves or the
group we're responsible for, those goals must be achievable. Eagle is
achievable. But, historically, only two in a hundred boys reach this
level. Is this OK? Of course it is, because even though not
necessarily achieved by all, it nevertheless represents a target to be
aimed for.
The
earliest Boy Scout Handbook called those who earned Eagle "all-around
perfect Scouts." This may have been a mistake. "All-around"
certainly, but "perfect"...? I'm not so sure about "perfect." In
today's world, I think "all-around" works just fine. In fact, I've
never yet met an Eagle Scout who wasn't "all-around." Eagle Scouts
aren't "Scout nerds," largely because what is required of them
inherently expands their world.
On "coronations"...
A Court of Honor
recognizes advancements that Scouts have earned since the last court.
Courts of Honor, in my opinion, need to remain this way. I don't
personally accept the notion of "EAGLE Courts of Honor," because while
this rank is significant, so are Life, Star, and, Yes, Tenderfoot.
Each one marks progress; each one deserves to be acknowledged.
Besides, from a purely practical point-of-view, many fewer Scouts and
parents attend "Eagle Courts" than do troop-wide Courts of Honor, and
without these Scouts and parents, how can this rank be used to help
promote the idea of advancement overall? The plain fact is: It can't.
Moreover,
the specialized C-o-H tends to be more a coronation than an
acknowledgment of a rank earned. (Even with the Motion Picture Academy
Awards, Oscar winners are given 90 seconds to make their acceptance
speeches, whether it's a single award or a group award.)
On what Eagle means...
I knew a
man--president of a multi-million dollar corporation--who made a point
of hiring men who were Eagle Scouts. When I asked him why, here's what
he said: "I know when I hire a man who is an Eagle that he knows how to
set a goal and then figure out how to get there."
On
conclusion of a successful Eagle board of review, I share this thought
with the new Eagle Scout: "The three best things about being an Eagle
Scout are these: You've pleased and honored your parents, you've
learned how to make good decisions for yourself, and you're going to
absolutely delight the parents of your date."
Associated posts at Scoutmaster
Eagle Court of Honor
Eagle Projects
Holding Scouts Hostage - The 13 Year Old Eagle?
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