The Six Big Questions About Cornerstones: #2: WHY do we participate?

The next six posts on this blog will be dedicated to stimulating discussion about the program, and clarifying the intent of program activities.  In this blog, I will focus on the question "Why do we participate in Cornerstones?"  


The following list of reasons is not in a particular order, and it spans the entire spectrum of what we do as a fraternity.  The list will be divided into two categories - why do we participate organizationally, and why do we participate individually:


Organizationally  

• as a member fraternity of the NIC (North-American Interfraternity Conference), we are a part of a larger community that includes all other fraternities & sororities, and that larger community is committed to initiatives such as the Fraternal Values Movement, the NIC Standards, and the The Case for Fraternity Rights; and having a membership development program that reaches beyond the pledge education experience is a part of what the larger community is all about
• as Acacians, the stated purposes of our organization (from the Laws of Acacia) include the following: Fraternal, Scientific, Literate, & Educational; so in order to continue to fulfill our purposes, it is important that our members hold themselves to high standards of achievement in these areas of focus
• as Acacians, our vision statement is "Preparing Tomorrow's Leaders", and in order to fulfill that vision, we must continuously be striving to evolve and adapt to the changing world around us

Individually

• this section is a little more difficult to define because the reason WHY can really be different for each person - 
• from wanting to make the most of your limited time in college, to desiring a great job upon graduation so that you can begin to plan for family life; 
• or from wanting to feel a sense of involvement with your peers as everyone grows and matures, to recognizing that there are lots of skills that you will need to learn to reach the high level of success that you aspire to
• what is consistent in this category is simply HAVING AN IDEA of what your WHY is
• the following list has been compiled from statements made by members of Acacia as to "why it's a good idea to engage in the Cornerstones Program"
• it provides a clear picture of "what we do as a fraternity" to a potential member, or a parent
• it ensures that with all of the things competing for our attention during our time in college, we are focused on moving toward our goals as individuals
• by simply taking the time to reflect on the things that I do, I always gain a fresh insight into my own nature, and therefore I feel like I've grown
• at the end of the semester, or year, you can look back at everything that you did, and feel pretty darn good about the past year

If you haven't ever taken the time to reflect on the following question, do so now: "Why is it that I do all of the things that I do?"  Feel free to share your thoughts below in the comments section.