Visiting Chapters Thread

Originally Posted by macallan25

I think it's a perfect question to ask nationals. I'd love to know their thoughts on how you should view the thousands of members of your organization whom you don't know from Adam. I'd be willing to be they would utter many of the same things that we have said here.........that you should treat them with kindness, courtesy, and respect. You should observe the fact that all of us share the same rituals and oaths that we took upon becoming members of our organization.

I doubt very seriously that they would be "disappointed" in the fact that some of us actually view brotherhood as something that you have to create between the men that you are around all of the time. That you have to work towards it to achieve it. You talk of brotherhood like it's just suddenly bestowed upon all of us at the same time once we become members of our organizations. It has taken years to create the bonds that I have made with my pledge/fraternity brothers. Sorry if it shocks and irritates you that we hold those bonds very dearly and aren't willing to just garner some random XYZ fraternity member with the same amount of deep closeness that we share with the members of our separate chapters. Members from other chapters have my respect and admiration for choosing to join our organization. They will all enjoy the common courtesy that I have been taught to treat all people with. Until we meet and get to know each other, that's what they are getting. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Please though, enlighten me on how to "get" brotherhood.

Someone has their panties in a bunch.

Obviosuly non-chapter brothers aren't going to have the same bonds as chapter brothers. My organization actually promotes chapters visiting chapters to meet our "other" brothers and expand our horizions. I have found more times then not, there was a bond by just being in the same fraternity. Not as strong as being in the same chapter but a mutual respect thing. I actually got to witness another chapter's brothering up ceremony and that was something I'd recommend everyone does. That was one of the moments that I got botherhood on a national level. But hey, we had brothers that only cared about the local chapter as well. I guess it what you want to make/get out of it. I personally like meeting brothers from other chapters. More times then not we have got along and treated each other as brothers- not chapter brothers but not as random people on the street either but rather as fraternal brothers.