The Greek ideal

By: Richard Harrod
Contributing Writer

Much has been said and written about the faults of the Greek system. To the credit of those who have discussed those faults, many of them are true, some of them are glaring and some are even dangerous. I do not attempt to dispel or even address those here. Nor do I claim to reveal any profound wisdom. The things I write here may be the most simple and commonly understood ideas, or they may not. My endeavor is to demonstrate that, at its core, the Greek system is one of the highest aspirations in the history of collegiate education.

The foundation of the Greek system can be summed up in two words: “brother” and “sister.” Those two designations, in whatever language they are spoken, are in an elite group of extremely powerful words. A brother or sister is a sibling. A sibling is family. Ties that are all but unbreakable bind those people who are or are considered family. Even if enmity or all-out dislike exists between family members, there is still that irrevocable bond left intact. For this reason, the concept of family is perhaps the most unifying force existent in humanity.

Most members of fraternities and sororities are, of course, not related to one other by blood. Nonetheless, they are bound by the designation of brother or sister. Like a blood relation, it is possible for enmity or dislike to exist between members of chapters. However, when we call another person brother or sister, something happens in our outlook that is usually unnoticed. The sibling designation, the designation of family, subconsciously causes us to see the humanity in that person we address as such. There may be very little we have in common with that person, but the fundamental acknowledgement of them as an equal – as a sibling – causes us to see them in ways we would not otherwise. This recognition of humanity is very likely to decrease the possibility of enmity or dislike. Manifestly, we are less likely to raise our voice or hand in anger against one who we call family.

Love is a complex topic and one with which I will not deal here, but the bond which exists in a fraternity or a sorority, the bond of brother and sister is, ipso facto, a bond predisposed to generate strong feelings of friendship and kinship. Nearly all fraternities and sororities at some point in their system of beliefs postulate that brotherhood and sisterhood are possible for every man and woman. Therefore, if all men are brothers and all women sisters, the inarguable conclusion of the syllogism is that all of humanity is one family. That is a stunningly powerful and beautifully unifying concept. If that concept is taken to heart, I believe that the criticisms and accusations of the Greek system pale in comparison to its potential benefits. Those benefits offer fecundity not only to Greeks, but also to society itself. Therefore, I declare the Greek ideal and the Greek system to be inestimable goods. They must be preserved.