On my honor,
I will try,
to do my duty,
to God and my country,
to help other people
at all times,
and to obey the Girl Scout Laws.
We recited that promise before every meeting, yet I doubt if any of us truly knew the meaning of what we were saying.
Honor means to fulfill an obligation when used in this context, but to a kid it means squat. Kids hear about "Honor Roll," that certificate one gets when achieving high grades, or calling a judge "your honor," but what is "on my honor" to a kid? Is that like sitting on a high bench like a judge or meaning you promise to make high grades. Reciting "On my honor" could have been the same as talking about cadavers–beyond kid vocabulary.
When saying I'd do my duty, I always got a chuckle because it sounded like going doo doo. I wonder if any other Girl Scouts giggled over that one. I never even knew what my duty was, so why promise it?
Doing doo doo to God sounds ominous, whereas Doo doo to my country sounds like I'm gonna fight a war. Yep! Little innocent children carried bombs to soldiers during Vietnam. I'm glad us green skirted girly girls weren't called upon to "do our duty." If we're not talking war time, how does a little girl "do duty to her country?"
"Helping other people" sounds like a keeper phrase, but at all times? What if the adult doesn't want help? What if the little girls just get in the way? Is it really necessary to help other people at all times?
Finally, we promised to obey the Girl Scout laws. What the heck were those laws? I don't think I ever knew.
Since this little promise is pointless, I'm going to present my own.
I promise
to try
to listen to the troop leaders
and not be a brat at meetings,
to help other people when they want my help,
and to learn the Girl Scout Laws.
Then I'll find the lameness of them too and have more fun.
