B. Patrick Bailey
Eagle Court of Honor
This is truly an
amazing time. Look around you. Everyone came here to honor a young man, for the
achievements that he has accomplished. Family, friends
dignitaries, and people that have benefited from his efforts, all came to his
Court of Honor, because of him. It is truly amazing.
What is most
amazing is that what he did was for himself. Sure,
everybody here benefited from it. His parents have the pride in knowing that
their son is an Eagle Scout. That is something to be proud of. His troop
benefited from his leadership. His friends benefited from the help he gave
them.
He gets to wear the
badge of an Eagle with pride. That pride is something that you cannot truly
understand, unless you are an Eagle also. I am sure that his family is quite
proud of him. I know that he has a boot print from his father on the back of
his badge. He has mine on it, too. However, the fact still remains… he
did this for himself.
Every Eagle Scout
does. It does not make them less of a man because they did something that
selfish. It actually shows how much they really care for everyone else. Let me
explain.
If I were to tell
you that I would give you $86,400 every day, would you be happy? What if I told
you that you could do with whatever you want, but whatever was left after 24
hours, I would take away? You would spend as much of it every day as you could.
That is what
happens. Every day you are given 86,400 seconds, no more, no less. At the end
of the day, whatever you didn't get the most of is gone. You cannot save it,
store it, or retrieve it… it is gone. Eagle Scouts know this. Look at the
people around you. Who are the busiest people that you know? Are they happy? I
am sure that they are, because they are spending their 86,400. Eagle Scouts do
this; they just do it a little differently. Most of us would spend that on
ourselves. In the process of doing something for themselves, however, Eagle
Scouts evolve in a way we can only look at in awe. They begin to cheerfully
give away their 86,400 to others. What a gift… to give of their own time
that they can not get back, ever, just because it is what an Eagle Scout does.
Sure, Patrick was selfish in earning his Eagle. He gets to wear a patch. Big deal. More importantly, he gave us a gift of his time in
the process. His patch and pin are worth a few bucks. How much of his 86,400
did he give to us for this patch? Who is selfish now?
Maybe that is why
time is referred to as "past, present and future". You cannot change
the past. The future has not happened. However, you can give away your time,
and that is truly the best present. So, thank you, Patrick. Thank you to all of
the Eagle Scouts. Your selfishness has been a great present.
Congratulations
Patrick on this accomplishment. I know how difficult it has been.
Congratulations to your parents. Your efforts to help him achieve this award
has it's own reward. Your son is an Eagle Scout, and
gives of himself cheerfully.