''Superheroes Need Not Apply. Boy Scouts, You Should have Warned
Me.''
Helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty,
brave, clean and reverent. Except for the clean (I'm Messy
Marvin grown up), I took those words to heart as a kid as a Boy
Scout. Help a stranger in need, think of the other guy. Learned
boy stuff, make a campfire, whittle, campfire songs, first aid,
how to Save somebody (or at least try), chop a tree, build a
fort, how to be a Good Friend, Good Samaritan. Self-control
(keep your emotions in check). Most boys of my generation were
in Scouts for a time. But what the Boy Scouts didn't tell me,
and I wish they did, is the emotional toll of being A Helper.
The Dark Side of making yourself unconditionally available for
people is that the world does not want a Hero. Superheroes need
not apply. ''Nobody asked for your help.'' Don't help the little
old lady across the street, she might trip and sue you. This is
the modern message. I have to ignore that message - I have to
stay strong and help whether or not the WANT is there - the NEED
is still there, The People Still Need Saving. BUT - There are no
Merit Badges in Life, Boy Scouts. You should have warned me.
