The Boy Scouts of America have merit badges for Camping, Pathfinding, Farm Mechanics, Dog Care, even Pulp and Paper. In 1951 they added Citizenship in the Nation followed by Citizenship in the Community, while ‘72 brought Citizenship in the World. In all, there are more than 100 opportunities for Scouts to learn and earn. Surprisingly, there has never been a...

In 2000, after I had received a number of responses to my “What Do You Stand For?” questionnaire, I struggled with a problem: What is the most effective way to share these stories, and talk about the individual who submitted them? At the time, I was reading journalist Tom Brokaw’s book, The Greatest Generation Speaks, subtitled, Letters and Reflections. Brokaw’s...

What will make a difference in the years ahead? How can we overcome extremism, complacency, prejudice, arrogance, ignorance, doubt, fear and hate? How can we learn to be better citizens, not just of our own country but of the world? How can we get to a place where helping each other is more important than winning at any cost; where...

James Comey tackled a tough topic last week. Speaking to students at Washington’s Georgetown University (Feb. 12), this is the first time I can remember the top law enforcement official at the FBI stepping forward to talk about an issue that’s long been simmering: police and race relations. “At many points in American history,” Comey points out, “law enforcement enforced...

In his 1995 book, Reason to Believe, former New York Governor Mario Cuomo writes, “Outrage is easy, cheap and oversold. The nation needs less anger and more thoughtful reflection, less shouting and more listening, less dissembling and more honesty. “In analyzing the issues, we need to remember there is a place for ideology, but it is not first place. First...

Although faith is not an ethical value, its importance in driving ethical conduct should not be underestimated. In fact, the word faith comes from the Latin fidere meaning ‘to trust.’ According to the Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion, “Faith is an attitude or belief which goes beyond the available evidence.” This first story (Dec. 19) I saw twice on the...

After a week of protests following the grand jury decision that Officer Darren Wilson would not be indicted in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, another image and story took off on social media proving that compassion can win out against tragedy, and it took place at a rally 2,000 miles away. “In the hours after The Oregonian posted...

One of the aspects that comes from walking into a class of total strangers for the first time is expectations. I expect that because most of them are young, that they have relatively normal lives absent any grave or impactful issues. I could not be more wrong. The level of candor reflected in most papers was not only unexpected but demonstrated a...

Ten miles outside of Concord, New Hampshire is a little slice of heaven called Gould Hill Farm. Located in the town of Hopkinton, Gould Hill is 60 glorious acres of apples, peaches, blueberries and pumpkins that have been farmed since the mid 1700s. With a 75-mile view of God’s country, the apples are simply the best I’ve ever had. Returning to Concord...

First of all, Colman McCarthy is funny. Every time he gets on the phone with me, he always asks, “Hey Jim, how are those orange trees doing in your backyard?” Colman is a philosopher: “Warmaking doesn’t stop warmaking. If it did, our problems would have stopped millennia ago.” Colman is a passionate pacifist who believes in fighting fire with… water. “Since...