Oath

Oath.  First off let me give the dictionary definition of the word Oath and then I'll go on to describe what I think it should mean and what it means to me, as a person and as a member of Pi Kappa Alpha.

Oath- a formally affirmed statement or promise accepted as an equivalent of an appeal to a deity or to a revered person or thing; affirmation.

Synonyms for the word Oath are vow and pledge

Based off of this definition I think Oath is what we pledge to do for ourselves and for our organizations.  We give an oath to uphold high moral standards, and to maintain academic excellence, and raise money and give back to the community.  I know for me, I gave an oath before I came to Ohio State to do the best that I could and to gracefully accept every opportunity presented to me.  Once I became a member of Pi Kappa Alpha I made a personal pledge to give everything I can to my fraternity, whether that be through grades, or planning community service events, or whatever else.  Of course I gave a formal oath when I became a member, to uphold the ideals of Pi Kappa Alpha.  I think for this formal oath to really be successful though, one has to look within themself and ask, "what can I do to make my fraternity better?  What can I do personally to make myself a better man, while at the same time helping my fraternity to grow?"  I think one must ask themselves these questions when taking an oath.  The same can be said for the President of the United States.  They take an oath to uphold the constitution.  If I were the president I would ask myself constantly if I was doing the right thing for the country, if the action I was taking was upholding the ideals and laws set forth by the constitution.  I would grow crazy if I was the President, because I think way too much, and there's so many people to look after.  The United States has over 300 million people, and at the forefront of all of them is their president, their leader.  But the President does always take that Oath of office, and I think they work very hard towards fulfilling that oath. 

I am the same way with the oath I made to the brothers of my fraternity and also to myself.  I won't stop until the oath I took has been fulfilled.  Based on the Oath I took to myself and my fraternity, that won't be until I'm in the grave.  And I like that.  Excellence and self fulfillment and striving to be the best, should be lifelong.

Below is a clip on President Obama taking his formal Oath:


That's all folks,

Zach