Live by the Code: Moral Compass
Today, we’re focusing on Moral Compass, as we continue our series on the Falling Creek Code. The four values that make up the Code are Positive Attitude, Servant’s Heart, Moral Compass, and Warrior Spirit. Living by the Code is what we strive for as members of the Falling Creek Community, teaching and modeling these values through our activities and interactions every day.
Your Moral Compass can be seen when you do the right thing, act with integrity, tell the truth, and take responsibility for your actions. We see displays of Moral Compass around camp when boys do the right thing instead of the easy thing, and this was the case on Wednesday in horseback riding.
The horseback staff were leading a “horse swim” in the morning, which is when they ride bareback down to the lower lake, so the horses can swim and splash around while the riders are on their backs. As you can imagine, it’s a ton of fun, and a great way to spend a hot summer afternoon. Jacob B., one of the advanced riders who has already achieved Warrior, selflessly showed his Moral Compass by letting Julian have his spot when the signups were full. Jacob had already been able to do a horse swim that session, and Julian had recently made it to Challenger, so this was the first time he would be able to sign up. Though Jacob could have done the horse swim twice in a row, he sacrificed his spot to let Julian experience the fun for the first time instead. It was a great display of Moral Compass and friendship.
As the group rode down to the lake, they had to take turns getting in the water so it wouldn’t be too crowded. One of our first-year counselors, Beck, had been looking forward to swimming with the horses for a long time. Kyle was lifeguarding them, and said that Beck displayed her Moral Compass by making sure all the campers had their time in the water first, before finally getting the chance to go in herself. It would have been far easier and more fun to just go immediately splashing in, but she knew the right thing to do was to wait and give everyone else a turn first!
At the F.A.R.M., we have several beds of tasty fruits and vegetables growing, which are tended to daily by our campers. They include squash, tomatoes, onions, green beans, peppers, okra, pumpkin, corn, spinach, and eggplant. One of the most coveted treats in the garden are the fresh, juicy, strawberries. However, since there is only one bed of strawberry plants, there are only a couple of ripe fruits each day for the campers to share. Everyone in the F.A.R.M. program uses their Moral Compass to share them, taking turns harvesting and eating the berries. There is nothing stopping campers from coming by before or after the activity periods, and eating all the ripe berries before anyone else arrives. However, this never happens. Each day it’s nice to see a bright red strawberry or two, just waiting to be picked by a deserving camper.
Sometimes, examples of one’s Moral Compass come up in conversation during Evening Embers, rather than being seen in action. Zaki told me an example about one of the boys in his cabin who shared his thoughts last night during their Evening Embers discussion. This camper said that while at camp, he had time to think back on his actions during the pandemic and being at home with his family so often, and he wanted to change his habits. He said that being in the camp community made him realize that he hadn’t been as nice to his family or as patient as he should have been, and he wanted to apologize to them when he got back home. This kind of realization can be uncomfortable, but it takes a very mature and virtuous person to take responsibility for their actions and make a change. Zaki was proud of his camper for choosing to follow his Moral Compass when he realized that he could be better.
All throughout the summer we see examples like these of campers and staff living by the Code. Tomorrow we’ll be continuing our series on the FCC Code, and highlighting more ways that the four values can be seen throughout the community.