to get started on this, i googled a few definitions of oath. my favorite one is as follows: A solemn pledge or promise to a god, king or another person, to attest to the truth of a statement or contract; the affirmed statement or promise accepted as equivalent to an oath; i really like this definition because it calls the oath a contract. contracts are 2-ways. when one makes an oath, theyre not only making a promise, but there is also a sort of deal involved.
when i pledged my loyalty and sisterhood to alpha chi, they also made a promise to me. a promise to be my family, a promise to accept me and a promise to be there when i needed someone.
we takes oaths when a member of or attending the chapter relations and standards board, both to keep the person's case a secret and for the sister to keep CRS's decision secret.
after promising we are who we say we are, we choose a president, who takes an oath to be the president he claims to be.
i enjoy thinking of an oath in a back and forth scenario because then, it seems like more of a compromise. it seems unfair to make a promise to someone if they don't intend to make it matter or count. the oath is strengthened by two parties' involvement.
to uphold my oath, i try to ELEVATE my chapter in every way possible. i know that when i am in my letters, people who don't even know me can connect me to my chapter. and out of my letters, i can still be recognized as an alpha chi, or at least a member of the greek community. every person has faults, but because we are associated with a large organization, it is easy to place the blame on our name. so while in my letters, i try to be on class on time and be attentive and watch my language and actions. i wear my letters to the library and share stories about our philanthropic events with my friends from home and non-greek friends. though not completely our fault, since movies like Animal House came out 12 years before i was born, it is still our responsibility to live above the words said about us and attempt to change the minds of who ever we can. and we need to try our best not to give up.. its hard because these ideas have been around for so long..
i found this website with some helpful inspiration on all aspects of life.. including elevation:
http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/22-reasons-to-never-give-up/
Awesome job looking at oath from both sides. I liked that you touched on what AXO promised to you.
ReplyDeleteAnd a promise is a compromise or an understanding. You explained that very well.
AND I know you want to ELEVATE Alpha Chi. Youre doing great at it. :)
ps-this is probably my favorite post of yours so far.