Our Second Cardinal Principle
What is a friend? Someone who is Loyal? Popular? Trustworthy? Understanding? Dependable? The two qualities that usually take top honors are Dependability and Trustworthiness.
A best friend is someone who likes you despite your faults. He is honest and loyal toward you. He brings out the best in you and overlooks the weak things that you do. He realizes that it’s what is inside a person that counts. He sticks by your side even though another person may refuse to associate with you.
A best friend is someone you can turn to in time of need and to whom you can tell your troubles in confidence. He does not have to be the most outstanding, the smartest, the best dressed, or the best looking person you know. He may be an ordinary but sensible person in whom you can trust.
An honest friend will give you the right information at the right time and a trustworthy friend is one you can tell things you don’t want retold. Two friends must share interests but should not cling just to each other, ignoring other friends.
It is not possible to establish a meaningful relationship with the thousands of Brothers across the nation or even with every Brother in a single Chapter. We believe it is possible, however, for all our Members to develop a sense of Brotherhood. Shared experiences and an understanding of our fraternal history and goals provide a basis for our national Brotherhood.
Brotherhood is the spirit of friendship. It implies respect, honesty and dependability. It means that we overlook differences and emphasize similarities as we join together in unselfish service. It means listening to Brothers whose views on issues might differ from our own. It means working closely with people, who under other circumstances, we might not choose as our friends.
Being a friend is not easy. It takes work. Every day we must challenge ourselves to be a better friend: To be more understanding, compassionate, welcoming and trusting. A Chapter fellowship program provides opportunities for social interaction among all Brothers. The goal is to strengthen the Chapter by bringing all of the Members closer together. Fellowship activities range from structured events, such as parties and dinners, to informal gatherings after a service project. Each Chapter has developed its own way of reaching our common goal: Making friends through fellowship in the spirit of Brotherhood.
A successful fellowship program is essential to keep Brothers actively involved in Alpha Phi Omega. That success starts with each of us, for the surest way to have a friend is to be a friend.