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clinging to an ocean buoy in the Western Pacific for the longest time. If this young man were somehow able to hang on and win this endurance competition, he would be assured a spot as one of the two contestants for the million-dollar grand prize. The challenge was quite simple but brutal. Each contestant would cling to the ocean buoy as it swayed, sometimes violently, in the waves. The one that could hold on the longest would get a free pass to the final round. And decide who his challenger would be for the million dollars.
So, Ian quit. Not just the challenge but the game. He gave up and asked his friend, Tom, to eliminate him. Tom reluctantly agreed, and the chance to become an instant millionaire was over for Ian. As Ian predicted, Tom became the sole survivor and won the million dollars. Thinking back, Ian stated, “I realized it’s not just winning the money. It’s how you win it.” That is what I learned in Scouts. It’s not just accomplishing something; how you achieve, it becomes important.” He added, “I decided to bow out. That was because of the Scout Law….and because of my sister.”
The two other contestants hanging on to buoys were Katie and Ian’s best friend on the show Tom. Katie dropped out after five hours, leaving just Ian and Tom.
For Ian Rosenberger, living according to the values he learned in scouting was worth more than a million dollars. Does he have any regrets?
As hours slowly passed, the challenge became increasingly difficult, but Ian’s more significant challenge was psychological. He carefully replayed in his mind the game and alliances that he had formed and broken to get to this point, as well as what a million dollars would mean in his life.
“I can’t say that the cash wouldn’t come in handy right now, but I’m thrilled with the decision I made. I don’t regret it at all. It’s only a million bucks. I left with pride and a story I could be proud of…although if I stayed, I wouldn’t be eating ramen noodles every day as I am now!”
Ian could see a clear path to victory in his mind. If he won the challenge, he would choose which of the other two contestants to eliminate. He saw his friend Tom as the more significant threat. Ian felt that if he won the challenge and eliminated Tom, he would have a clear path to victory.
What would you have done? Stay Safe, and Remember – we do not need all the operators in Texas to be a member of TWUA – JUST YOU ! ! ! !
Ian was an Eagle Scout. As he clung to the buoy, he began to repeat the words of the Scout Law: “A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal….” Ian stopped. He knew he had been neither while playing the game. He later said, “I’d been backstabbing people, and I was planning on doing that to my best friend in the game and realized I would lose that friend if I continued playing the game in the same way. Every time I pulled money out of the ATM account from the million-dollar prize, it would have bothered me.” Ian thought of the example he would be setting, especially for his younger sister. “I thought about Scouting, and I thought about the people who would watch me win. They wouldn’t have been proud.” February 2022
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