Oath?

I was blow-drying my hair, thinking about what oath means to me, and I realized that there is more than one type of oath. Depending on the situation, you can make an oath to yourself, to your parents, to your friends, to your husband, to your children, etc. but people usually don't make oaths to a student organization. That's where Greek life comes in. We take an oath to uphold values, secrets, and brotherhood/sisterhood. We've acknowledged the fact that we're different from other student orgs because of our lifetime commitment, so we get it and I won't rehash it here. What we haven't really talked about is how we can apply that oath to our post-grad lives. As someone who has spent time with alumni, I can see that Alpha Psi Lambda is a part of them that they can't deny. So many members have done big things with their lives and really gave back to the community. They have been staying true to their oath for years. I really want to be able to say 15 years from now that I'll have done the same thing.

An oath can be a tricky thing to deal with as well. We're human and no where close to being perfect. That being said, we're going to fall and make mistakes every now and then. But the beauty of it is that your oath that you took will still be there. It's like your mother, who was there after you wiped out on your rollerblades to clean off your scraped knee and put a band-aid on it. She will remind you to be more careful, to be more aware of the consequences of your actions. But no matter what you do, she will still love you. Your oath that you took upon becoming a member of your organization reminds you that you have responsibilities and that your actions always come with consequences, good or bad. But breaking an oath doesn't condemn you as a failure; the oath just gives you the guidelines on how to live your life just as your mother teaches you how to live your life. In my head, it kinda works as an "I told you so." As much as we hate to hear it, there's usually a good reason for it. You break your oath, things happen, and you get an "I told you so."

Maybe organizations should start hosting a re-commitment ceremony, a renewal of the oath, so to speak. Couples often have a renewal of vows ceremony x amount of years later. And since marriages are similar to fraternities, why not have a fraternal renewal of vows/oath? Instead of just witnessing new members take an oath, have current members take it as well. It might help new member development, seeing the commitment in those older than them.

I totally believe that my oath transcends my undergraduate life. It has taught me to hold myself accountable for my actions. I do not only represent myself, but also my organization. An oath should never be forgotten.