Something that matters a bit more is scout spirit. Hope I clarify.
I am an Eagle Scout. I say this not in jest. I completed all the requirements, and now I am it. But alas, I see no improvement in my life. The fame and fortune I was promised by the troop, my family, and my friends has still not found it's way to my doorstep. Why? Being an Eagle Scout means nothing anymore.
It really sucks too, because I worked pretty hard to get there. I have spent hundreds of nights camping (which I love), months of merit badge-getting (which I hated), and more and more time with the service projects and community involvement things that are so required to achieve such a rank.
I was a Life Scout (rank right before Eagle) for almost two years before I acquired the Eagle rank. It was the hardest of all of the ranks to get for sure, and even harder with my having lost all interest in Boy Scouts because of all the cool people leaving the troop. It seemed everyone I hung out with at scout meetings and shit quit and moved on. They didn't care about being an Eagle Scout. What was left was a bunch of sick-minded kids; the absolute worst breed of Taylorville's children were the only Boy Scouts left.
I owe my rank to my mom and dad, who are the sole reason I didn't just abandon the whole scout thing as so many did when they got to be the age I was. I hated it to death, and hated it more when I realized what had become of the troop. If my mom and dad didn't drop the most evil of guilt trips on me, I never would have finished. Thanks to mom and dad for that.
I am recognized as an Eagle Scout by the Boy Scouts of America and the National Eagle Scout Association.
-sigh-