24th World Conf report.doc
Version date: Oct. 10, 2005
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ISGF 24
th
World Conference 2005
Conference Report
his field? Astrophysics. Totally dead things. Rocks large and small hurling through a space
as dead as the rocks themselves. This has him brimming with enthusiasm. He said a few
years ago on a television talk show that the thing he looked most forward to right now was a
Venus Passage. Everyone in the studio laughed themselves silly, because it sounded like
some sordid sex affair. But our friend Knut J^rgen didn't even care about or, it seems,
realize those connotations. He just kept marvelling at the fact that he would be allowed in
his lifetime to see the planet Venus pass in front of the sun. And, I'm thinking, if he can be so
enthusiastic about something as lifeless as the planet Venus, we who work with people,
who are privileged to take part in shaping and helping the lives of young, very real people
should be brimming with the same enthusiasm and happiness.
Point number three: Believe in the mission! We have to retain the belief that what we are
doing is important. And what you are doing, is important. You represent values and ideals
that youth need today more than ever. But it is easy, far too easy, to be discouraged by those
who believe that what we do is old-fashioned, strange, or unnecessary. At exactly those
junctures we need to remind ourselves of the importance of what we do, and why our
mission has indeed lost none of its importance. I myself am a Sunday School teacher, and I
sometimes get the question: "Isn't Sunday School old-fashioned?" And my reply is that it is
probably more needed now than ever and even if it is old-fashioned, maybe that's a good
thing, in a time and age when things are changing so fast that many young people feel they
have few roots and little sense of continuity.
This point is clearly connected to the demand that we have to think ahead and prepare
ourselves for whatever challenges and discouragements are coming and that leads me to
my fourth point:
Preparation. We must not succumb to what I have jokingly called a "two o'clock at night at a
party" morality. Too many people seem to live by such an ethical rule, where they seemingly
believe that they can just "see what happens" and face temptations as they come for
instance, at two o'clock at night ... That's the way in which many of us make mistakes in life
often silly mistakes that we come to regret deeply. We must, instead, make up our minds
on beforehand, before we go to the party or whatever other tempting or difficult situation we
are moving into. We cannot, to use another example, enter the world of business and say
that we probably won't succumb to corruption or bribery, but that we first have to see what
offers we get ... Our principles have to be clear on beforehand. If we are to function well as
individuals and as an organization and help others, all the scouts of the world, to do the
same we must be aware of the dangers associated with not being prepared, and help each
other prepare for the real challenges of life, morally and otherwise! We must, in short, make
sure our ideals and visions are firm. An important part of this is stated in ISGF's mission
statement: to prepare ourselves through permanent education maybe the most important
part of real moral preparation.
Next: Managing the tension between unity and plurality. You are one in your mission, yet
you are also so many. You represent different languages, cultures, and ways of doing things.
On the one hand that plurality is a great source of strength. But on the other hand, it leaves
us vulnerable to internal disagreement and potential quarrel. This demands of us a number
of virtues: (a) generosity, (b) willingness to listen, but also (c) willingness to pull together
once decisions have been made. And not least: (d) we must speak well of each other, and
help build each other up! The best way to destroy the future for an organization is through
backstabbing, gossip, and basic lack of politeness and friendliness.
This leads us to the next point: Good examples. I recently gave a talk at a Norwegian legal
firm. One of the firm's partners told me that the founder and former leader of the firm was
one of the most respected lawyers in the business a man whose moral compass and
