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 and staff do the right thing instead of the easy thing, or when they act with integrity even when no one is watching. Yesterday the co-head of mountain biking, Hays Edmunds, shared a message at Morning Watch about a time he wished he had followed his moral compass better.
Hays is here for his 9th summer, after being a camper for seven years and a mountain bike counselor last year. He shared a story about his time as a camper, and described a memory that still sticks with him today. He said that out of the eight boys in his cabin, four were big paddlers and three were big mountain bikers, including him. There was one boy who wasn’t into either adventure sport, and was interested in art instead. The rest of the cabin teased him for not being into the same activities. Hays says that he regrets not being as kind or inclusive with this cabinmate, and instead he joined the other boys in letting him be the odd man out.
Hays said that it could have been easy to include this cabinmate more, even though he was interested in different activities, and that he still thinks about the way he handled that situation today. “As you experience camp, remember that the way you treat others sticks,” he said, encouraging everyone to listen to their moral compass, and treat people the way they would want to be treated instead of giving into peer pressure or excluding boys with different interests. Hays is one of the kindest and most enthusiastic counselors on staff, so the message he shared with the community surely had a great impact.
It can be hard to listen to your Moral Compass and do the right thing when it’s not easy. Ben Williams, our Outdoor Adventure Director, says that telling boys they’re not yet ready to move on to the next progression level can be one of the most difficult parts of the paddling program. In our paddling program, all campers begin in canoes to master the basic strokes, work with a partner, and prove their confidence on the river. After demonstrating their skills on the lake, they’ll move on to whitewater on the Lower Green River, and finally the Nantahala River. The final step before receiving a “Yaklet” bracelet and moving on to kayak progressions is running the Nantahala Falls, a class III rapid, without flipping the canoe.
The staff work with the boys to master each level before moving forward, but it can be tempting to let an eager and enthusiastic camper move ahead quicker than they’re ready. Imagine making it down the Nantahala River with success, finally making it to the falls at the end of the day, and flipping the canoe at the last minute. Boys are able to walk the canoes back up to the top of the rapid to try the Falls again, but it can be a humbling challenge. It’s tempting to just say to the boys, “Well, you tried hard and that was good enough,” and just give them the Yaklet anyway. However, Ben says that maintaining a high standard for each paddling progression is the right thing to do for the boy long-term so he’s ready for more challenging rivers in the future. This also ensures that the program stays at a high level, and makes the challenge of earning the Yaklet feel that much more rewarding.
Want to read more about our paddling program? Check out the adventure blog series here
Completing the progressions properly is the right thing to do, but it isn’t easy. We’ll be continuing to take on challenges at camp over the next couple of weeks, following our Moral Compasses as we practice choosing the right path over the easy path. You can read our first blog in this series on Positive Attitude here. Later this week we’ll continue our series on the FCC Code, highlighting Warrior Spirit and Servant’s Heart next!