Spring Break and Ritual – I bet you’ve never stopped to consider how many similarities there are in those two things. I didn’t until I had a quick conversation with my friend RWM. With Spring Break right around the corner for many institutions and National Ritual Week starting March 4th, I wanted to highlight some similarities between Spring Break and Ritual.
Both Have Intrinsic Habits
Do you ever stop and think about how many rituals you perform before Spring Break? Think about it for a moment. Spring Break workouts, Spring Break diets, buying new clothes or heading to the tanning bed to get that base tan are just a few that come to mind.
Even while on Spring Break, many of you will establish a daily ritual. Most of you will get up later than normal. Eat. Put your bathing suit on and head to the beach, the pool deck, or the best seat on the cruise line. After a few hours in the sun, you grab some more food, explore your Spring Break location, meet new people and prepare for the evening activities. Before you know it, the night has concluded and you are ready to do it again the next day.
I’d venture to say that most of you won’t deviate too much from what I described above. That’s normal because we are creatures of habit. The same should be true for your fraternal Ritual. Once you learn the true meaning of your organization, you should start to establish daily habits centered on the values and meaning of your Ritual.
Both are About the Adventure
Spring Break is a time to relax, get refreshed and embark on an adventure. Maybe you’re headed to a new country. Maybe you will be going to a new city. Maybe you will be traveling with four or five others that you don’t know all that well. Regardless, it should be a fun adventure!
The same is true with your fraternal Ritual! For many, the Ritual is this secretive, intimidating ceremony that should never be discussed outside the walls of where the ceremony takes place. Well, I’m here to tell you that you couldn’t be more wrong.
The Ritual experience is one of the greatest adventures one can take as a fraternity man or sorority woman. Why wouldn’t you want to talk about it? I’m not saying you should reveal any secrets, fancy handshakes, or meaningful email signatures. I’m saying that the Ritual is more than just a few hours, Ritual is for a lifetime. Ritual is a journey, not a destination. That is where the adventure is…in the journey. What is the journey? The journey is to understand what it truly means to live your values of your organization on a daily basis. You see, Ritual is lived every day, not just in the ritual ceremonies. If you can embrace the journey, you will find what a powerful adventure living exemplary values are on a daily basis. In addition, you will find your life, your decision making, and your fraternal experience 10x more impactful than if you choose not to go on the Ritual adventure. I promise.
Both Should Leave a Lasting, Positive Memory
Lastly, when done right, Spring Break and the Ritual should leave a lasting, positive memory. No stress, no coercion, no anger; only positive memories. For some of you, reflection of your Spring Break triggers a number of positive feelings. Laughter, love, happiness and gratefulness could be just a few that come to mind.
Those very same feelings, as well as others, should be how you feel about the Ritual. Once you have completed the ceremonies to become a brother or sister, you should feel nothing but happiness, love, and gratefulness. As time passes and you learn to live the ritual on a daily basis, those very same feelings should be the culmination of your fraternal experience. No stress, no coercion, no anger, no drama…just positive thoughts. Sure, there will be bumps in the road but when you graduate from your respective institution, you should be able to look back and see that your fraternal experience, because of the Ritual you had the honor of going through, was a lasting, positive memory.
For more information on National Ritual Week, click here
