What the Boy Scouts Can Teach Us About Citizenship

Jeff Pudlo
Aug 9, 2017 · 3 min read

As we all know, Donald Trump is a person of extremely high moral character. He is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. Okay, done laughing yet?

As an Eagle Scout myself, I thought that in the wake of President Trump’s disastrous speech to the Boy Scouts two weeks ago (yes, that was just two weeks ago), it might be useful to reflect on the lessons the Scouts teach us about citizenship. The Boy Scout Handbook, at least my tattered old copy of it, begins the section on citizenship with a quote from Daniel Beard, one of the founders of the Boy Scouts of America: “This was a good country in the past. It is a good country today. It will be a good country tomorrow unless we fail it.” First and foremost, the Boy Scouts teach that citizenship requires participation. Being a citizen entitles you to rights, but it also comes with obligations — a democracy only succeeds when the voters are informed and engaged. With a government whose power springs entirely from the votes of the people, accountability ultimately falls back upon the people as well. Each and every citizen is thus tasked with remaining aware of the happenings in their local community, in their nation, and in the world. Indeed, merit badges for Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, and Citizenship in the World are all required to reach scouting’s highest honor of Eagle.

We have a duty to participate in our society to make it a better place, at every level. We have a duty to be informed on local, national, and international affairs, and to use that knowledge to be an informed voter, and we are called to make a direct impact in our communities. We are expected to serve one another in word and in action.

If we take nothing else from Trump’s speech, let’s let scouting teach us again about civic duty. It’s an old fashioned concept these days, and rather out of style. We focus on the government as a tool, and what it can provide for us. While that’s appropriate, we often forget that government services are coupled to our own duty to contribute to the national wellbeing. We have to think about our duty to society, whether that’s as simple as paying taxes or as difficult as standing in front of millions of voters and running for office. A scout has an obligation to try and improve the lives of their fellow citizens, and that is not a small promise to ask.

I should point out that this is regardless of political belief. I have known liberal scouts and conservative scouts, but one thing we have held in common is the sense of civic duty. Opinion on policy might differ, but the Scouts teach us that politics and citizenship is not about winning, it’s not about promoting your tribe, it’s about legitimately trying to find the path that’s best for all of us. Right now, liberal and conservative alike, America is not failing us, we are failing America. We could all stand to be better citizens.

Jeff Pudlo

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Jeff Pudlo was formerly the Legislative Director for the Peace Alliance, an advocacy group devoted to reducing violent conflict in the US and around the world.