A Note on Restraint
Restraint. This is the second of seven words that the brothers of Delta Sigma have striven to exemplify since the early days of the Rebel Band Service Organization in 1961. This word is often the most difficult to quantify, and by consequence the most difficult to portray since restraint seemingly means, in essence, to do nothing. So how do we work towards exercising restraint in life and chapter operations? How do we know when we are properly restraining ourselves? It’s difficult to know, but this is a word that, while we are not conscious of it, vastly improves both the quality of service and image of our chapters.
We, as brothers, expect at the least common courtesy of one another. No one appreciates rudeness, so why would we be rude to one another within a chapter? It only creates tension and inefficiency, leading to a lack of quality service. For instance, imagine a situation during a chapter meeting where one member suggests an idea for a large service project or fundraiser and another member attacks the idea with no sound basis for criticizing the proposal, but rather makes a snide remark about how “that will never work out, we simply aren’t organized enough for it.” This statement not only stalls discussion on what could be a great idea for service or raising funds, but also brings the chapter down to a point where it feels like it is ineffective, effectively diminishing morale. If this member had used better judgment and held his tongue, the chapter would not be focusing on their past weaknesses, but rather on the strength of a good idea.
As well, restraint is vital to projecting a respectable image of Kappa Kappa Psi to the campus bands. Think of how the band at large would view us if members consistently walked out on the field complaining about how tiring marching band is, how they hate all the time and effort they have to put into the activity. This projects an image of laziness, a quality not becoming of a service organization. Or rather, think of what other bend members think if a brother were to make every snide/sarcastic remark they could during a rehearsal. Imagine if that brother uses foul language on the field and simply refuses to follow proper rehearsal ettiquette. The band would begin to see us not as a service organization, but rather a hindrance, which creates a bad image of not only our chapters, but the fraternity as a whole.
Restraint is a quality that seems to be common sensical, but oftentimes is forgotten in the whirlwind of college life and frustration. It involves having a keen foresight to act respectful toward your peers. This is something that every individual can work on, much like the first word: humility. Once the individual begins to exemplify this quality, the group overall will benefit greatly.
AEA,
Powers Bilodeau
Delta Sigma – Kappa Kappa Psi
