By Greg Hardesty
Scouting has done many things in my life for me. I have met many of my friends through the organization. I have met people and been exposed to some people that under normal circumstances, I would not know. For this I am very thankful for the opportunity to meet so many people of varying talents. Scouting has also let me meet many people who are very friendly and helpful and who want me to succeed. My friends that 1 have met in this program have been very beneficial to me and I hope I have also been beneficial to them. When I need help with something, I can also go to those that I have met in scouting while if they need something, they can always come to me and I can help them out with whatever task they may need done.
Another way scouting as impacted my life is through the numerous skills that I have acquired which I would not have normally learned if it weren't from scouting. I was taught how to create fire out of nothing and how to survive in pretty much any climate or area for a prolonged period of time. I have learned how to pitch a tent and how to camp out for long periods of time. There were also more practical skills that I use on a daily basis such as how to cook. Sure, it took some time to develop this particular skill, but it was well worth it in the end as it now has a near daily effect on my life and makes it that much better. It also allows me to help out at home more which makes my mom happy. Another important skill that I learned was how to properly use and operate a knife. This allows me to successfully and safely do other skills that I have learned in scouting, such as cooking, which often involves the use of a knife. Another skill that I will always be glad to have is that of basic first aid and CPR training. Thankfully, I have never had to use this before and hopefully I won't, it is always something I will carry with me, always ready to help some other person.
I have been able to pass on down these skills to others as well. I have taught many new scouts how to do first aid and how to safely handle a knife. These skills will help them later on when they get to be in my position. I have also taught many younger kids how to cook and clean the proper way which allows these young people to become a working part of society that is independent of outside help for their well being. This process also happens to be a chain reaction as those who I teach will then go on to others and teach them the very skills I taught them and the process will continue in some shape or form for quite some time. Plus, while teaching these skills, I had fun and the person learning most always had fun as well, which means that both parties got something out of the experiences.
Learning these skills has also helped me become a better person while learning them and actively doing them. Though it Is not often when I need to start fires outside of scouts, having this skill is something that I have used on occasion to help other people. Also, being able to cook and clean has also helped me do stuff, such as volunteer work and community service.
Some of the things that I have learned in Scouts have helped me become more efficient at my workplace. I have learned many skills in scouts that I was able to apply at my workplace, such as some knot tying and basic mechanical things that I've learned throughout the years both in and out of scouts. Conversely, I have learned many things outside of scouts, both at school and in the work place that have helped me in scouts. I have learned many things in school about various subjects which makes it very easy for me to go into a merit badge session and simply telling the counselors information that I already knew. Oftentimes, I would end up teaching the counselors more about the merit badge then what they would. They then have the ability to better teach the merit badge to other people and those people will use the skills and knowledge in their own life and pass it down on to others. So when this happens, both parties win. I get a merit badge and learn a couple new things and the counselor will learn things that he didn't previously know about the badge.
Throughout my scouting career I have gotten many benefits out of scouting. I have met many unique and different people that I will be friends with for the rest of my life. This people are always available if I need help with something and when they need help with something, I am always there to be of assistance for them when they need something done or have a problem to be solved. These people have helped me learn skills and I have also taught them something as well. The many skills that I have learned throughout scouting will also benefit me for the rest of my life. I will be able to then pass these skills onto others and benefit society as a whole. The key thing throughout this whole process is that I had fun. That is one of the main reasons that I did scouting and that is the single most important reason why I am staying in scouting after finishing my eagle scout. I have accomplished everything I set out to accomplish and thus my goals have been completed.
*** Note, Gregory was just promoted to Major in the US Military
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