open letter to pnms

(Found this and thought it would helpful going into rush)

...We all ended up in a dorm room together getting to know each other. At some point I decided to go out in the hall and call my Dad to let him know I was taking a bid from ATO. Of course he was happy, but made sure I was picking ATO because it was right for me and not because of him. Then I started complaining.

I told my Dad some of the other guys there were terrible. From the weirdo that was into hippie girls and pot to the Canadian that wouldn’t stop talking about high school wrestling. It was a diverse group. They were so different from the chapter I’d gotten to know. I didn’t understand why they’d bid these people.

My Dad said, “Son, do you know your creed yet?”

That surprised me. Of course I didn’t know it. I hadn’t even formally taken a bid yet.

He said, “Well I pledged in 1970 and it goes like this…” At which point he proceeded to rattle it off perfectly (which I did as well in repeating this story to them). I was impressed.

Then he said, “You don’t even know those words yet, much less what they mean. The guys in that chapter ‘get it’ and they decide who gets into the brotherhood, not you. You need to shut up, do your job, learn all you can, make your grades, and don’t do anything too stupid. The day you understand what this is all about, give me a call. Until then, it’s not your fraternity to run.”

So, for all those guys out there that just took a bid and don’t know if you necessarily love the guy next to you yet, understand what you don’t yet understand. Trust your fraternity and do your job. When you have earned the knowledge and experience to make those decisions, make sure you’re making them for the right reasons.