Originally Posted by navane (Post 2313669)

I understand that you possibly felt trapped, embarrassed, panicked, or some other feeling that caused you to literally bolt from the room and leave without speaking to anyone; however, there were other options that you, in your moment of feeling overwhelmed, failed to consider. I get that there was "nothing you could think of at the time"; but, being an adult means being a grown-up and not getting tunnel vision.

Specifically, a more appropriate action would have been to say something quietly to a brother during the bathroom break and then graciously exit. No....no excuses about "they would have tried to talk me out of it". Sometimes in life we have to muster up the personal fortitude to say, "I'm sorry, this isn't for me and I am not prepared to reconsider my decision. Thank you for giving me the opportunity." Also, if you were that nervous about a personal confrontation, you could have at least written an e-mail to the brothers before showing up for initiation. What you don't do is show up and then bolt during the bathroom break. Sciencewoman was absolutely right when she said, "I think this is a life lesson in: avoidance is not an effective way to handle a challenging situation."