Compromising Principles
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” Native American Proverb.
The Boy Scouts of America web site boasts serving 3.4 million youth. The Boy Scout Troop program emphasizes outdoor activities and strongly suggests one over night camping trip per month plus one day trip per month. Even assuming that less than half the youth served are part of a Troop, Team, or Crew Program and not all Troops, Teams, or Crews deliver a full program, that’s still a lot of youth, plus adult volunteer leaders, outside in the front and back country. That’s a tremendous impact on the natural environment. But it’s not necessarily a negative impact.
For a few years now BSA has been working hand in hand with the folks at Leave No Trace (www.lnt.org) to emphasizes the need to take care of our natural environment. BSA has adopted all the elements of Leave No Trace camping skills into their program. BSA has committed volunteerism from the rank and file membership to doing service projects to help protect our natural environment. This is not just a small percentage of the volunteer work done in our parks, but equal too, if not more than, any other national organization in America.
I am a member of the Boy Scouts of America. It fits in well with my ideals of environmental conservation principles.
I read an article a few months ago that was the result of a survey of political and corporate leaders on their influences in life leading up to their attained successful position. By large most of the folks interviewed responded that their experience with Scouting, both GSUSA and BSA, where a factor in their early development of leadership. This is a big testament to the impact that Scouting, and its adult volunteer leadership, has on this nation by the education of its youth.
Ownership of the BSA is not by a few board members in Texas, as might be perceived from the outside observation, but by the community organizations that charter each unit. Each unit that is chartered by a church, VFW Post, PTA, or other organization has a vote in how the BSA is run and emphasis on the program. By a large margin Christian churches charter more units than any other organization. High on the list are Methodist, Catholic, LDS, and other Christian churches followed by Jewish, Hindu, Islam, and Buddhist. Other nationally recognized civic organizations that charter units are Lion’s International, VFW Post, Masonic Lodges, PTAs, JROTC, and The American Red Cross. There are others, but these hold the majority of charters. All of these organizations have an equal vote per unit on what they feel is important for BSA program and membership.
The Philadelphia Grotto is a local chapter of the National Speleological Society. I am a member of both the national and the local organization. The Mission Statement in the grotto bylaws state, “We are dedicated to cave conservation, exploration, education, and research.” I like this. This fits very well with my ideals of environmental conservation principles. The members of the grotto live this mission statement. All members, in one fashion or another, strive to better our natural environment, specifically caves and karst environments. Just living the caver’s creed of “Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but well placed footprint, kill nothing but time” is a passion for all of us. A lot of the Philly Grotto members are members of more than one grotto and more than one conservancy. They put their money and time where their mouth is.
This group of environmentalists asked me to be their Youth Group Liaison. To be the “go between” for youth groups who seek help from the grotto with their caving programs. I was honored by this position, but found out quickly that not all cavers liked the idea of youth groups caving. But this is my contribution to the Philadelphia Grotto and the NSS in helping with the “education” part of that mission statement.
In February of 2006 I had the fortunate opportunity to put together a caving trip for the Venturer’s Officers Association (VOA) of Chester County Council, BSA. I have been aware of, and looked closely at, the Venturing Program offered by BSA for a few years prior. This is a great program for young men and women to do activities that interest them. They plan it, they run it. The VOA is made up of the Presidents of each Crew in the Council, so these are the top youth leaders.
This exposure to the VOA left me very inspired. These are the young men and women who I have faith will be the best of the leaders in our future nation. I wanted to be part of this. I wanted to help make a difference in the life of our future. Not just for the future of politics or industry, but the future of our natural environment. These are the people who will be making decision on environmental policies in the future and I felt compelled to give them as much information as I could right now. I felt compelled to inspire them to be good stewards of the Earth.
I had an idea that a Venturing Crew could be a chartered partner with The Philadelphia Grotto. The ideals of environmental ethics and principles of the grotto would be a good support for a group of future leaders. I proposed that the grotto should charter a Venturing Crew that would specialize in cave exploration and related disciplines. The Chester County Council, BSA agreed with me and supported pursuing this relationship. Key members of the National Speleological Society supported pursuing this relationship. The members of the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Grotto felt it was worth exploring and asked me to see if there was an interest in this relationship with the rest of the grotto membership.
There are some folks I cave with who know me and my motives. They gave their full support in what ever they can do as trip leaders and mentors. Aside from them I expected a small hand full of some of the parents of this age group would be somewhat interested in a program like this. A caving and social club specifically for their children’s ages group. A caving club where they can be themselves with their piers. A caving club where they learn about themselves and their own potential to make an impact on the world. But I didn’t.
Instead I heard about how the grotto membership requirements does not discriminate without regard to age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, gender, sexual orientation, or veteran status. That the membership requirements of the BSA against homosexuality and atheists was not compatible with the grotto or the NSS. “It's a political issue and that's the problem. NSS is not about politics-- it's about caving and protecting caves.” I was hoping to make it about protecting caves and leave the political issues to the politicians. But the politics and human rights were quickly put in the forefront leaving the ideals of environmental principles behind.
With this I was forced to publicly choose between my two principle. One principal of human rights, and the other principal of environmental ideals.
With great regret I withdrew the offer to the grotto to charter this Venturing Crew.
BSA still makes a significant positive impact on our natural environment with their volunteer service and building youth to be tomorrows leaders. Voluntarily removing yourself from that massive of a positive potential impact is a compromise in my principle to the future of out Earth’s environment.
I humbly believe that humans are a temporary part of the evolution of Earth. We will make an impact on the Earth. But will that be a positive and nurturing impact or an impact that will end our existence, even within the lifetime of my grandchildren? The Earth can, and will, go on with or without us and our human rights. We cannot exist without the Earth, even with our human rights. Supporting the principles of our human rights at the expense of the principle of conservation of our natural resources is a compromise of principles in on the side of our own annihilation.
The majority of chartering organizations in the BSA at this point in time, strongly believe that homosexuality is a sin against God. Whether I believe this or not is insignificant in my belief that all religious beliefs are valid to the people who believe them. As an American I support their right to freely believe in and practice their own religion even if it conflicts with my own.
A majority of chartering organizations who did not believe in this principle were internally pressured to terminate their association with the BSA instead of staying the course and lobbying within the BSA for support in their own principles. Which is more of a compromise of principle, working within a private organization that you are already a minority voting member of, or giving in and quitting and scolding from the outside.
If you truly want to make a positive human rights impact on our youth and influence how they vote in the future, you need to be part of the majority rule. Even if that means starting out as the minority and lobbying your point to your piers and to support your cause as just even if it’s contrary to their spiritual beliefs. Not standing on the outside and forcing laws that “legalize sins against God”, making long time religious beliefs illegal, and undermine the recognized spiritual beliefs of Americans.
The single largest youth organization in the United States is the Boy Scouts of America. The single largest organization who puts the most people in the wilderness is the Boy Scout of America. Sure it can be better. But you can only make it better from the inside as a member.
Even though at this time the Philadelphia Grotto will not be chartering a Venturing Crew, I would hope that the grotto members would see and support the position of environmental principles that they will uphold. I hope that the grotto members will help these young men and women learn what it is to be a steward of the Earth.
I hope no one else will be brought to having to choose between two principles, but it will happen. You will feel like you have betrayed yourself and jeopardized your reputation amongst your family and friends. I don’t ask or expect that you choose as I have. All these ethical principles need to championed and brought into the light of justice. I will applaud your choice, what ever it is in hopes that you will not feel as betrayed and jeopardized as I did. We will move forward together.
"This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself."--Chief Seattle
This group of environmentalists asked me to be their Youth Group Liaison. To be the “go between” for youth groups who seek help from the grotto with their caving programs. I was honored by this position, but found out quickly that not all cavers liked the idea of youth groups caving. But this is my contribution to the Philadelphia Grotto and the NSS in helping with the “education” part of that mission statement.
BSA still makes a significant positive impact on our natural environment with their volunteer service and building youth to be tomorrows leaders. Voluntarily removing yourself from that massive of a positive potential impact is a compromise in my principle to the future of out Earth’s environment.
I humbly believe that humans are a temporary part of the evolution of Earth. We will make an impact on the Earth. But will that be a positive and nurturing impact or an impact that will end our existence, even within the lifetime of my grandchildren? The Earth can, and will, go on with or without us and our human rights. We cannot exist without the Earth, even with our human rights. Supporting the principles of our human rights at the expense of the principle of conservation of our natural resources is a compromise of principles in on the side of our own annihilation.