scouting, etc.

My brother received his Eagle Scout Award over the weekend. That was a neat experience--I got to be his Honor Guard Captain and give him the Eagle Scout Pledge, the latter usually being done by the Scoutmaster. So it was a good weekend. And of course, it being a sort of milestone in Brett's growing up, I got to thinking.

There's all this talk of how Scouting is going to help you be successful in life that happens during most eagle ceremonies, but this time it had been a while since I last heard it all, so it fell on different ears. I've never really had a clear idea of what success is or might be, and i really still don't. However, I also--in looking for a bookmark to use as I started reading The Fellowship of the Ring over the weekend--stumbled upon something someone gave to me I think at high school graduation. It's a quotation of Ralph Waldo Emerson, which you've all probably heard, but I think it's a valid sort of credo, if a little sappy.

"To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."

gives you a nice warm fuzzy feeling, doesn't it?