Veterans of Foreign Wars Voice of Democracy Scholarship Contest
Submitted in 2003
Margaret Mead once said, "Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have."
This is my commitment to America's future, just as it is the commitment of every child whose mother ever told him he could be President of the United States. My commitment is to always be a dreamer, always be an idealist. To look each doubter, cynic, and unbeliever in the eye and tell him that yes, an individual - a single person - can make a difference. My commitment to America's future is nothing short of a promise to change the world. My years as a Boy Scout taught me that I have an obligation to serve my country to the best of my ability. They taught me what my specific obligation is, and they taught me how to fulfill it.
As Senior Patrol Leader of my Scout Troop, I open every meeting by leading the other Scouts in the Scout Oath and Law. The Oath begins, "On my honor, I will do my best, to do my duty, to God and my country." The Oath does not tell a Scout what this duty is because each young man must define his own commitment to America. Scouting's main goal is to help young men mature into responsible adults, and part of the road to maturity is identifying one's own talents and contributions to others. Early in my Scouting career, I knew that my commitment lay somewhere in the Scout Law that I pledged each week to uphold. The Law states simply that a Scout will always be "trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent." All Scouts are required to follow the Law, but it meant more to me. I believe the Law is the most important aspect of Scouting. It is not a list of rules, but a system of morality on which people of all religious, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds can agree and should follow. As I matured, I realized that such a system was what America had lost, but only recently have I discovered that the career fields in which I am most interested - law, medicine, and government - are those most badly in need of reform.
As I look at the world around me, I see the law encouraging secrecy, not trustworthiness, by allowing doctors to hide dangerous mistakes from their past; I see lawyers hurting, not helping, citizens by bringing frivolous lawsuits; and I see the government being wasteful, not thrifty, in providing senior citizens with prescription drug coverage. My commitment to America's future is to solve the problems I see by offering the Scout Law to Americans. I would do this by pursuing a career in law with a focus on public health policy. As a lawyer, I would fight to keep health care costs down by defending doctors against frivolous lawsuits, and I would use legal action to encourage government accountability for public health services. I would enter government service as a legislator where I would actively shape the laws of the future. With that power I would be able to give legal accountability to the Scout Law, enacting laws and reforms based on its values. Reforms such as prescription drug coverage for senior citizens and more opportunities for talented high school students to afford a college education. I would seek to create programs that taught children a system of morality, ethics, and common courtesy that they should, but do not always, learn at home. In doing so, I would ensure that the next generation of leaders would have the same commitment to an ethical government as I do. Above all, I would work to leave this world a better place than I find it today. My commitment to America's future is to be dutiful and dedicated. My commitment is to care. On my honor, I will do my best, to do my duty, to God and my country.