There’s this saying that goes “We shape our buildings and afterward our buildings shape us.”
Truth be told, I believe this quote means that we influence the environment around us and in turn the environment influences us. This is particularly true when it comes to Greek organizations such as fraternities and sororities.
I still remember my Freshmen year in college. I was fairly timid and shy, but it was after joining my fraternity, bonding with the brothers, growing as an individual, and being put into leadership positions where I broke out of my shell. My fraternity facilitated this process significantly. I learned from the upperclassmen, and before I knew it I was one of the upperclassmen!
The second reason why I feel this is true is because often times it’s the members of the organization that truly shape it, and in doing so create something bigger than they could have ever imagined. Countless houses across the nation run philanthropy events because it’s tradition, but after the members get involved with the philanthropy, they look for other ways to continue to give back to the community.
And lastly, it’s hard if not impossible to not be influenced by your surroundings. If you have great friends who cook, it’s likely you’ll pick up that habit. If most of your friends eat junk food or fast food, it’s likely you’ll fall into this as well, or if a lot of your friends go to the gym, you’ll probably tag along as well. The people, things, and environment we choose to associate with as a whole often times make us who we are.
If you haven’t already, be sure to order your greek stoles before it’s too late!