I did not know what to expect when I walked into the
Alpha Xi Delta house at Indiana University. After being president of Phi Kappa
Theta and being involved in a variety of leadership roles throughout my life, I
have observed the highs and the lows of different leadership styles and
techniques. I had attended many leadership conferences and retreats throughout
my college experience to where I felt like I was more qualified to write a leadership
enhancing curriculum than most of the hosts of such workshops. I was ready for
a relaxing week, in a new place with similar people. I served my term in my
fraternity. I knew the ins and outs of everything that has to do with Greek
Life and the important people who are involved. I was all-knowing. I knew what
Phi Kappa Theta was about, I knew what Lehigh Greek Life was about, and I knew
the direction that I wanted to take it. I didn’t need a leadership conference
to help influence me and my future actions. I knew all there was to know and I
knew how to accomplish it. There is only so much that leadership workshops,
retreats, and conferences can teach you. I assumed UIFI was the same. I assumed
wrong.
Nowadays, people
use the phrase “life changing” out of context. Is that new car, dress, or
Chipotle near your house truly changing the momentum of your entire existence
here on earth? It’s not. A life changing event needs to be so profound that it
pokes at our emotions, pushes us to reminisce what we stand for, and makes us
question our values. It completely changes our outlook on life. We often don’t
think about the underlying values that make up who we are and we are out of
touch with what we truly believe in. These values and beliefs are what make us
who we are. They differentiate us, yet bring us together all at the same time.
I had lost my connection to the foundation of what I live for and UIFI brought
me back to where I belong.
Greek
organizations are nothing other than tangible morals and values. Every order of
a fraternity or sorority is built upon a foundation of beliefs and ritual that
are similar to one another. They strive for life-long service, commitment, and
brother/sisterhood. They give to those who need it, they cherish their moments
together, and they fulfill their personal and fraternal goals as a passionate
organization. All of these values are held under something that we all know as
Ritual. Notice the capital R. Ritual is old, it is historical, and it is what
is in writing that encompasses the beliefs and values in which our
organizations stand for. Some may be shared and some may be secret. Yet, Ritual
always upholds the values in which each order is built.
As flourishing
organizations, we strive to keep alive these Rituals. Whether it is out of some
unknown respect to our forefathers, or whether we feel pressured by our
National Headquarters, we make sure that our history is never lost. Our Ritual
is personal to us, and we do everything in our power to keep alive the annual
habit of hosting it. Pledging, Initiation, Oaths. The Rituals that we see every
year are being repeated because we know it’s the right thing to do. We love
them, just as our forefathers did, so we feel some sort of connection with
them. We practice them, imitate them, and hold them dear to our hearts for a
few days each year.
There is a
significant difference between Ritual and ritual. We all know what our
organizations Rituals are as they’ve been passed down since the beginning. Our
rituals, however, are the things we do every day without even thinking about
them. Running our toothbrush under water before applying toothpaste, putting
our right leg into our pants first when getting dressed, saying grace before
dinner and the list goes on. These are our rituals, our habits that we do every
day without even knowing or realizing. We’ve come so accustomed to them that we
have no problem carrying them into everyday life. We live by them and we are as
much a part of them as they are of us. But what makes a ritual? Consideration,
belief, and practice. The men and women who built our organizations had rituals
too. Their rituals were in line with their values, just as ours are, and they
lived with them every day. In fact, their rituals were so strong, so powerful,
and so inspirational that they built chapters with them. Their rituals were so
incredible that they motivated millions to take part in sharing what they
believed in by joining their brotherhoods and their sisterhoods. The Rituals
that we keep alive today are indeed what is left of our founding fathers’ and
sisters’ ritual. It is their values and beliefs that are exhibited through our
initiation ceremonies and it is their ritual that we vow our allegiance and our
actions for the rest of our life.
UIFI taught me how
out of touch we are with our supposed values. By accepting a lifelong Oath to
an organization, we are expected to live by the words that are said before us
in our ceremonies, as that is what our founders intended. They aren’t just
words, they are our Ritual. And it is our duty, as fraternity men and women, to
align the true purpose of our Ritual with the ritual that we live every day.
-Miles Bailey, Phi Kappa Theta
Phi Kappa Theta President 2012-2013
IFC Secretary 2013-2014
