The Rules

From an (anonymous) list of Troop Rules posted on the web: Troop Chairs chairs are a privilege, not a right.

Bringing chairs to a campout will be decided at the discretion of the Scoutmaster.

Abuse of this privilege results in forfeiture of a camp chair. Camp chairs are defined as a bag chair, or folding chair. Not a lounge chair with foot rests, recliner, or rocking chair.

I would be curious to know what set of circumstances precipitated this particular ‘rule’.

Perhaps the Scoutmaster didn’t have a rocking lounge chair with foot rests and just couldn’t conscience that others did? When I came across this I had to smile wryly to myself and recall that I once thought that most of my problems could be solved by writing rules or developing forms and procedures. Most of the problems turned out to be what I call ‘the price of doing business’.

Scouts are boys, and as Plato said: “Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable.”

Rules require enforcement, and enforcement is an unpleasant and un-soutmasterlike task. The Scout oath and law are as close as I would like to come to rules – if everyone strives to achieve those ideals we need nothing else.

Except perhaps a rocking lounge camp chair with footrests.