Scouts Map and Compass
With a map and a compass I can find my way to any place I want and back again. I can find where I am, where I want to go, and how to get there. That doesn’t mean I’ll never take a wrong turn, but I’ll be able to recognize it and fix my mistake. A map gives us a lay of the land. It shows us landmarks and we can see the best ways to move from place to place. A compass helps us find our bearings and figure out which direction to go from where we are to reach our goal.
Boy Scouts learn how to use a map and compass. If you have these tools with you, you may get lost or off track, but if you know how to use them, you can find your way back. We also have another type of map and compass – not for hiking, but for living.
The Scout Law: A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. That is our map. Each point is a landmark, something to strive for.
The Scout Oath: On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. That is our compass. It shows us how to navigate through life, which decision to make when faced with a challenge or opportunity.
We use the map (the Scout Law) as a guide for our lives and the compass (the Scout Oath) to keep ourselves oriented.
One thing I really like about Boy Scouts is that I am required to take the same oath and live by the same law that the Scouts do. And you know, if a young (or old) man makes all efforts to live up to the Scout Oath and Scout Law, he is bound to be a pretty good person.
