brotherhood is dead

it's all come full circle. i remember as a freshmen i would read emails on the fraternity email list of disgruntled seniors or recent alumni. I can't count how many times i told myself i wouldn't let that happen to me. i would be different. knowing in the back of my mind those same brothers were probably once just as enthusiasic about the fraternity as i was when they were fresh iniates.

over the year, brother's who happened to be friends by association developed into friends who just happened to be my frat brothers. our friendship was not solely defined by our pledge but was just reinforced. the eternal bond just added another layer.

as the years progressed i slowly started seing myself turn into those same brothers i told myself i would never become. but living in the real world and just growing out of the scene, i realized that the fraternity was no longer the center of my universe.

still, trying to prove a point, i stuck with the idiom of the fraternity - almost blindly.

no longer do i blanket my frat brothers as friends. over the years, there are quite a few i don't even like as people - which was not the case for the guys who came before me. we sacrificed something in the quest to become a top house. you can't both have and eat the cake - so maybe that is the other lesson in life the fraternity has taught. there is always give and take.

i do no deny that the fraternity had a profound impact on my life - and i wouldn't trade the experiences for the world.

at the same time, it's time - just as i removed my ear piercings - i stop waving the banner on high, let the letters drop, and move on.

i'll just take the friends and the memories with me.

amici...