No. 6•APRIL - 2011
I would have to say that of all the values that are most important, the source of all the others, is love. Love is much more than a feeling. If it were, love would be very unstable and could not move the human spirit to make wonderful and transcendent things. Love is not only an act of the heart, it is an act of the mind, requires reason, and can exist only with commitment. For love to exist it cannot be conditional. It is a gift that cannot be exchanged. For that reason, it is difficult for us to really experience it because we have learned that everything in life has a price that must be paid. From childhood, we have learned that things are negotiated, "you give to me and I give to you." We walk through life always asking, “What do I get in return for this?” So, when we experience love, we believe that it works just like everything else and do what is necessary to please others to get love from them or we give our love to those who do what is necessary to get it. But this is not the way true love works. With true love, the satisfaction is in giving, not receiving, so it is a gift. Nothing is expected in return. This is not easy, requires a true conviction, and, as I said before, commitment. One has to love someone and, every day, renew their commitment to provide unconditional love. The Scout movement promotes love by inviting all Scouts to be everyone's friend and a brother to everyone. The engine of friendship is love and for this reason is also unconditional. The Scout Law does not speak of being a friend of our own friends, it is being a friend to everyone and that it is a great challenge. Being a friend to everyone requires knowing how to express love to all: those who hurt us, those who talk behind our backs, those that deceive us, those that smile to our face but talk behind our backs. It is true that it is not easy to maintain a relationship of trust with those who act that way but we can express our love without falling in the same game by avoiding speaking ill of them or accuse them falsely. In this way we learn to be friends with everyone and, even better, to love all those around us unconditionally, as God does with us. Being a brother to every Scout requires a great commitment and to understand that this is also an act of love. We call them brothers because they are more than friends, because they share our ideals, and our desire to Creating a Better World. Let us resolve today to begin to learn to love, unconditionally, and give much, as Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, until it hurts. Be prepared to serve Raúl Sánchez Vaca Regional Director
O. SUB . UMBRA . FLORE