Thunderstorms are powerfully beautiful, especially when
the lightning is so fierce it lights up the sky. Lightning is a force to be reckoned with –
mostly for the negative destruction and mayhem it can produce when it strikes
the ground. But there is also a poetic
quality to lightning, as a provider of energy and life-altering clarity. When harnessed, it provides power unlike any
other natural force. Ask Benjamin
Franklin, or Marty McFly.
My favorite rock band is Pearl Jam, and one of their
latest songs, Lightning Bolt, has a great lyric:
Always something and never nothing,
Isn't that the way we're taught to be?
Flipping through the worn out pages
And stages when you knew not who to be,
Until the lightning strike sets you free.
“Until the lightning strike…sets you free.” A lightning strike can personify a moment of
extreme significance - one that hits you
so hard, you are forever changed. As the
lyrics state above, our lives can take on a very routine, comfortable
quality. But then, as the old adage
says, life happens. In fact, life can
probably be described more in terms on the number of lightning bolts that
strike, not the rarity of them.
Lightning strikes all around us all the time. What’s rare is that we are directly hit by
one of these strikes – these life-altering bolts of energy – and answer their
call; or allow them to set us free.
A fraternity or sorority can be a lightning strike, in
two senses:
In the positive sense, imagine a young undergraduate
whose life map is seemingly carved in stone already at the age of 18. Each step along her educational path has led
her to this college, to a certain major, and a certain career destiny. And then, she meets a sorority woman. She attends a function and begins to
understand what sorority is and can be.
And then the bid card is delivered and ZAP. Lightning strike. Her fraternity experience introduces her to
different perspectives, different people, different career paths, and the power
of service. She discovers new things
about herself that she never realized before, and a sense of calm clarity falls
over her as she charts a different course (now with sisters standing by her
side). “Until the lightning strike…sets
you free.”
Perhaps the longevity of the fraternity/sorority movement
can be explained by the fact we continue to be one of the few entities that can
offer lightning strike moments. So much
of our involvement and activities in our young lives are too narrow these days. We tend to now pick one sport to focus
on. Or one after school activity. For better or worse, a lot of childhood years
are spent building deep capacity in one endeavor instead of light capacity in
many.
Fraternities and sororities are enterprises that provide
many diverse opportunities and ways to engage.
In that way, they can be life-changing.
Our organizations can be the things that inspire someone
towards greater self-discovery, and open doors never before considered. We can enable individuals to find their
ability to work collectively towards something that matters and understand the
influence of relationships.
Or, in the other sense, we can be the lightning strike
that brings harm. The lightning strike
that takes an individual and shocks away his dignity and self-worth by hazing
him. The lightning strike that forever
disrupts a person’s potential by surrounding him with apathy and debilitating
choices. The lightning strike that kills
or maims through a culture of drugs or alcohol.
A lightning strike that burns and scars forever.
Which lightning strike – today – is your fraternity
likely to be for the new members you invite in this Fall?
While there is no way to completely control a member’s
experience, or how the fraternity impacts his/her life, there are conditions
more favorable for a lightning strike that’s charging and life-giving instead
of one that’s destructive:
- Does the fraternity accept diversity and independence of thinking (instead of strict conformity)?
- Does the fraternity allow members to engage with their strengths and at their desired level of involvement?
- Does the fraternity offer rich opportunities for learning and education?
- Is the fraternity as comfortable (or moreso) with interactions that are alcohol-free as it is when alcohol is involved?
- Do older members offer their experiential wisdom with younger members?
Any organization that provides lightning strike moments
is one that is eminently relevant.
People, whether consciously or subconsciously, seek these out. Deep within us is a desire for our lives to
be disrupted – to let go of routine. If
your organization is just another sunny day in an already sunny existence, then
what value are you adding?
Lightning strikes in nature are serious business, and
shouldn’t be taken lightly. In the
figurative sense, do not be afraid of lightning strikes in your life. Your fraternity experience may be that for
you, or you might be surprised as to when they come. Look up and embrace their arrival, for this
next lightning strike may be the one that sets you free.
(and by the way kids, THIS is rock and roll)
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