Dilemma or opportunity

Of course I view Fraternity life as an opporutunity. I'm biased. It has been the best opportunity of my life.

So why wouldn't anyone else view it as an opporunity?

well, it lies within the individuals. Not everyone wants to get the most out of their fraternity/sorority experience. Not everyone believes in holding themselves to a higher standard... Not everyone is willing to change...

So that in itself is a pretty big delimma.

So how do we make it more relevant? How do we make fraternity/sorority life what it used to be?

I guess we can't... life isn't the same as it used to be over a century ago... just another delimma I suppose.


But I was able to get something out of it, so there must be an opporunity within our community somewhere.

I realized I never met my founders... but I must admit, they believed in some pretty sweet stuff. And I'm damn proud to believe in it as well. Fraternity Life is what we make of it. The Individual. The Individual can create the opportunity for themselves, and others, or they can just as easily be a delimma for us all.


Don't be that individual.... Strive for more out of life and from your experience. You will make a difference. You will change.

strengths and weaknesses

My Fraternity.

We follows the rules, for the most part, and I see us as a decent role model for the rest of the fraternity community... in that standpoint.

However, we do lack a little bit of the brotherhood aspect at times, maybe some guys just get a little too carried away with their studies. Hey a 4.0 is great.... but a 93 is still an A, you are allowed to miss a point every once in a while, feel free to sacrifice some of the time you spent memorizing the dictionary to play a game of basketball with me.

IFC.

We have a strong bunch of individuals who really do want to make a difference. Best of all we have the support of our University behind us.

However, we have a lot to try and accomplish, and our community sees the council as a separate entity...

The community.

The community has so much to offer. We have opportunities out the wazoo. Frienships are built daily and leaders blossom over night.

However, even though we are not on the same level as many other institutions (in a good way) we still have our downfalls. I was ignorant of them for quite awhile, and it is very hard at times to think that something I love so much has so many flaws... because of the individuals within the system, not because of the system itself.

Hazing will not build better brothers, it will destroy them.

Alcohol will attract attention when recruiting, but not the kind you want.

Yes women are great company, no you are not allowed to degrade or control them.

Why Perfection?

ahh perfection.

Spring atmosphere, 60 degrees, sunny days and star filled nights... and just the right company. That's perfection.

Maybe throw in a little music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJzGtzGydtQ) and a glass of wine... Hey we did say perfect right?

But in all seriousness, why do we seek perfection?

Nothing is really perfect, is it? Can't something always be better? Can't you always improve just a little bit more? Can't you always learn a little more? What is this idea of perfection and why do people constantly kill themselves trying to achieve this false idea?

How about this idea... lets be content. Lets be happy, satisfied, thankful... the list goes on and on. Lets rejoice with what we have, and share it with those who have not.

Lets ebrace life and the opportunities it has given us. Let teach others how great life really is and all that it has to offer. Who knows we might just enjoy going along for the ride!

In my opinion, the idea of perfection is a destination. In other words, a stopping point. The best part of life is the journey, not the destination.... and why would you ever wanna stop the journey???

Fraternity and Sorority life cleary defines how we should live our lives. It is defined in our Ritual... I guess if I had to say what a perfect world would be... I would say people actually knew what their Ritual was, and stood for, any maybe even lived it.

Oath

Sigma Phi Epsilon does things a little differently since we don't have pledge classes. When someone accepts an invitation to join our Fraternity, they become Sigmas. As they grow as individuals and from their experiences in the Fraternity, they go through the rituals of Phi and Epsilon accordingly.

Without going into too much detail, because we have different stages, we have multiple Rituals. Which means individuals progress at their own rate, and not with the rest of the brothers who joined at the same time. However, multiple Rituals means we get to reaffirm our Oath numerous times, each and everytime we have one of those Rituals.

The Oath is my favorite part of the Ritual, for one simple reason. It explains the life long commitement I made to living a life of purpose and high principles.

Some Brothers in my Fraternity do not see it this way... they see it as just another obligation... Just another time when they have to dress in pin attire and "show up" so that they don't get fined. This pisses me off more than any other thing in my individual fraternity. Other things get to me more (like sex, drugs, and fraterol... and don't get me started on recruiting with alcohol) but within my Fraternity, I don't agree with this mentality. Each time we do the ritual, it is an opportunity to relive the first time we did the Ritual, and repeat the promise we made in the Oath. Each time we do the Ritual we are once again showed how we should be living our lives. Not to mention the fact that it our our duty to be there for the Brothers who are going through the Ritual for the first time.

I had someone last night tell me they didn't know what it meant to be a Sigma Phi Epsilon. My answer was simple. Someone who has not gone through all of the Rituals will not have a defined answer to that question. However, they are to make their own answer off their individual experiences with Virtue, Diligence, and Brotherly Love... Our highest Principles. And if you do not know who you are after going through the first time, Maybe you should do a little more than "showing up" to the Ritual the next time, you might learn a thing or two. considering the fact that the little book hidden in the closest defines the person you should strive to be.

Happy Monday

While working today, I found myself with a case of the Monday Morning's, so I decided to listen to one of my favorite songs. Here is the link. Hopefully you like it too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erPnyi90cIc

Ritual

So I realize I am writing this blog is coming a little late, especially since we already talked about it in class, but I have had a really long week trying to stay on top of everything I have going on so I didn't quite get to my blog.

So getting into it, what are my secret thoughts on Ritual. Well as Julie said, and many others after our discussion yesterday, Ritual isn't much of a secret. Everyone knows we have one, that we perform one. They all know we have knocks, passwords, handshakes, candles, music, dim lighting... I think you get the picture. I think the secrecy of the details (for example the specifics in our rituals and how we go about performing them) separate us as individual fraternities and sororities. However, we are not really separated, once again as mentioned in class, because of the Life long commitment we pledged to upholding ourselves to the principles defined in our Ritual, and doing so to the highest extent.

So ya we have Ritual. Webster's Define's Ritual as follows

Ritual \Rit"u*al\, n. [Cf. F. rituel.]1. A prescribed form of performing divine service in a particular church or communion; as, the Jewish ritual. [1913 Webster]

2. Hence, the code of ceremonies observed by an organization; as, the ritual of the freemasons. [1913 Webster]

3. A book containing the rites to be observed. [1913 Webster]


I thought a lot of that sounded pretty familiar... So if Webster's published it, how can it be that secret?

We'll like Brandon mentioned, I like the little secret details that we have as our individual fraternities and sororities, as define in our Ritual.

But because we made a commitment to upholding these principles, we have the responsiblilty to portray these principles in our everyday actions... in other words, living the ritual... bet you didn't see that one coming.

Diggin Deep..

Soo What Happened Last Friday?



We'll we had a nice little activity that consumed most of class time. Not gonna lie I didn't mind doing it.



It was a values based activity, one in which we had to seek out other members of the fraternity and sorority community, and talk with them about values. The question topics related to the individuals fraternity/sorority focus, their values within the sorority/fraternity, and what ritual means to them.



Its always interesting, at least to me, to see how people answer that last one.... Some people are straight laced and just say its a ceremony. Others really like to dig and tell me how personal it is to them.



I personally relate to the latter. The Ritual is the most meaningful part of my Fraternity Experience. I'm not sure how much more I can emphasize that last point... I mean, how can individuals overlook its importance?



Ritual is the one thing that makes a different from every other student group/club/team/organization/ect!



The Ritual is where we pledge to uphold our values, not just for our years here at Ohio State, but for Life! During Ritual I am constantly reminded of the higher standards in which I have committed to living. Each time I take part in the ritual, I am that much more inspirted to live it out.



At least for me, thats what happened last Friday. Just talking about the ritual anymore gets me excited to be a Brother in the Fraternal Community. And I was inspired to tackle a week which seemed like it would never end.... But I am strong and I will succeed in my endevours. Not because I am cocky, but because I have been blessed with support anf experiences from my Fraternity Experience which will be to my benefit in all of life's tricky little obstacles.

I hope you feel the same, because our community is not a joke, and we will make a positive impact.

So let me buy this round.. ( I tried to post a song here by ACDC, have a drink on me, but it didn't work, still figuring out blogging I guess.....)

And let's toast to the wonderful opportunity that we

have in front of us. It's time to do some work.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Mark Twain said it best..."The human race has only one really effective weapon, and that is laughter. The moment it arises, all your irritations and resentments slip away and the sunny spirit takes their place."

We could all use a little laughter to keep our spirits high. So please enjoy the little clip below and try and regenerate after a long week with a little laughter.

http://www.thelaughtermovie.com/land.php

God Bless

Let's talk about values.

What are your values and how do they define you? Where do they fit in terms of your council’s values? In terms of the community’s values.

I like to think that I am the type of person who acts off of his values... even if at times I think of them as a little bit... constricting. Now I will be the first to admit that in previous situations I may have strayed from the straight and narrow path that is layed out to me by my religion (I am a fairly religious young man), but overall I think that I like to think I'm doing a good job.

I know that I am a very fortunate young man, and that the Good Lord has blessed me in more ways than I realize, as I find more and more reasons to be thankful each and everyday. So that is the primary reason I love doing service to others and the community. Going back to the "Paying it Forward" idea, I truly get enjoy helping other people.. all coming from the idea that it is my duty as a blessed individual to give back to those less fortunate... So that is how my values define me. I use them on a daily basis to guide my decisions and as resources when I face obstacles.

As far for my council and my community, I believe I am in the perfect setting to apply my values. I am in a position where I am thankful to have the opporunity, as well as the resources, to make a difference and to give back to those less fortunate.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes was really my first attempt at changing the community. I value the lessons I learned, and the friendships I gained from the experience. Meeting all the other individuals who share my same values has been invaluable to future progress for our cause.

Once again that is why I believe my Council, as well as my community is a perfect setting. I am surrounded by individuals who made a pledge to live a life of purpose and high standards. Whether our values are the same, or completely different, it is obvious that we are all passionate about the things we want to do. Our councils are coming together to form one community, one in which we can all work together to accomplish our goals, and hopefully get others as passionate as we are to join the cause. In my opinion, the cause is nothing more than giving back and moving forward.


In an effort to spice up my blog. I decided to add a little video showing that everyone has values... even the little guys. And when we come together, we can make a difference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOWz80ldD24&feature=related

Class Lessons on Fraternal Change

Why did we choose to start a class about Fraternal Change with a service project, and what did you learn about yourself and your peers as a result of our shared experiences today?

It was my original understanding that we were starting a class for our all four of our councils so that we could have the opportunity to meet with one another on a weekly basis, get to know one another and discuss/collaborate on sorority and fraternity ideas and programs, as well as meet with our individual councils in place of a weekly exec board meeting that we would have scheduled anyway... all while earning a little bit of class credit.

Granted, the only differences between that structure and the one we had previously would be meeting with other councils on a regular basis, and extending the meeting by an hour or so... So we can't expect that to boost our GPA... However I would have liked to have an opportunity to meet with my Council.

While I most assuredly enjoyed meeting everyone, especially around the PB&J's.. I was hoping to get a solid foundation with the individuals I which I will be working most closely.

Like I said, I enjoyed learning a little bit about everyone, and I really enjoy doing community service work. I get a great deal of satisfaction from "Paying it Forward". I know I am truly blessed to be in the position that I am today, mostly do to the sacrifices of those who came before me. While I almost feel obligated at times to make a difference, it is not a burden I'm unwilling to carry. Its an honor to know that I can make a difference, and I value new opportunities to do so.

After only one class, I realized that I am surrounded by individuals who are already inspired to make a difference, and I very much look forward to our opportunity to promote change.

I will end this post with a comment by my Fraternity Brother, and incoming Chief Justice, Ryan Wilson, which pretty much sums up my thoughts.

"I have felt for quite some time that our community as a whole does not have the same drive or passion as we do. I hope that we will be able to challenge the community to better itself, as our brothers have challenged us."

who am I, why am I in my Fraternity/Sorority, and how do I feel after reading this Blogabus in its entirely?

My name is Benjamin Charles Huebener. I am a third year student majoring in Human Nutrition, with the specialization of Nutrition in Industry... essentially this means Business Nutrition but Fisher will not let any other College use the word business.

I joined my Fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, on January 12th 2008 and experienced my first ritual 3 days later on my 19th birthday. Two years later I still call myself a Fraternity Man and am more than PROUD to do so.

I have many theories about the benefits of the Fraternity and Sorority Community, especially about our Community here at The Ohio State University, and most of them speak for themselves based off of our statistics... such as a higher GPA than the all undergraduate average.. but my overall opinion of Fraternity and Sorority life has been shaped over my many experiences with the community, and cannot be shown in just one statistic.

You see, I see my involvement with the Fraternity and Sorority Community to be an investment.

An investment of one of my time, money, and talents. I did not join Sigma Phi Epsilon because I needed friends; I made plenty of friendships during Autumn Quarter. I did not join because I am wealthy and had money to throw away... that is FAR from the truth. And I sure as hell didn't join to be a Frat Boy with a popped collar, spray on tan, and an attitude that I am better than every other GDI.

I decided to become apart of a rich tradition of young men who made a pledge to themselves, as well as to their peers, that they would live a life dedicated to higher principles, to which they would hold each other accountable for life. These are the principles of Virtue, Diligence, and Brotherly Love.

I wanted to join an organization in which I surrounded myself with others whom I thought were better than me. Not because I enjoy feeling inferior, but because I wanted to be in a situation which constantly challenged me to strive for more out of life, which constantly made me try to improve, and which constantly keeps me trying to grow and learn as an individual.

I will be the first to admit I like keeping my classes and my organizations separate. The fact that I am taking a class for one of my organizations did not make me necessarily happy. I have dedicated the vast majority of my free time to the Fraternity and Sorority community over the past two years and I was not forced to because I had a Fraternity Exam or Reflection Paper to write. I Did it because I truly believe that I am getting a great return on my Fraternal Investment.

however, I also understand that we live in a time of change, and after reading Tyler and Maggie’s Post, I am excited to run with this opportunity to promote to the profound benefits that come from the Fraternity and Sorority Community.

And just like any investment... the more you put into it, the more you can get out of it.