Don't confuse Ritual requirements with some of the hazing that occurs - I doubt "getting the cut" is referred to in any way in your actual initiation ceremony (unless there is something in the book that expressly forbids paddling/hazing).
Pledging requirements are so often contradictory to what is in our actual Rituals. That is a big problem - to go through some of the "initiation" activities prior to the true Ritual can leave new members confused as to what is right, and what means more to members - the message is all to often not to take the Ritual seriously, for the pledging activities take much more time and effort to carry out.
Ironically, you may notice that some of the pledging and/or pre-initiation activities (don't confuse the two) change on a rather frequent basis - but I'll bet good money that your initiation Ritual has changed very little, or not at all, since its original drafting, however long ago that may be.
Our Rituals are timeless, and, I'll bet are very similar in the messages they contain about how to live life, every day, to become a true brother/sister, and better person. The goal is to strive to meet the ideals - not to confuse members with activities that contradict what they should truly be learning.
You stated that you hated your time "in the cut" - yet you learned some valuable lessons as a result. My question is, even though lessons were learned, you hated it - can you develop some other form of "new member education" that would teach the same lessons, and remove the hatred? Would members get more out of the education with the fear and intimidation factor removed?
I think you will find in organizations where hazing is prevalent, and extreme, that the initiated membership is less active in the chapter than other comparitively similar organizations that do not haze. The only good I seem to have gotten from your perspective on hazing is that it brought your line/class tigthly together. However, shouldn't membership in a fraternity create bonds among ALL members, not just your class. This creates chapters with eight separate "cliques". There are so many more other methods of bonding membership than some sort of "bonding stress test." It creates the wrong kind of bond if only the new members are expected to get together.
Mikki was very right about marriage's stress tests - they are not either planned or intentional (I'm coming up on my 9 year anniversary) - but you learn as you grow with each other (as an overall team, not segmented) on how to get through the tough times. (By the way Mikki - loved the line about Grandma's iron skillet - my wife inherited a large wooden rolling pin....same philosophy applies, and I've never put her in the position to use it either
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I'm still interested in your response to the last question I posted - if you, on the other side of the line now, are going to "give" wood - how will you justify it? (Tradition? Please give me something more creative ..), and most importantly, how accountable are you prepared to be as a BROTHER if, God forbid, something goes terribly wrong at an event you attend?
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Don't be your brother's keeper; rather, be your brother's Brother.
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