The True Meaning of Brotherhood

Rich Moore, 2003 National Vice Chief for the Order of the Arrow, shares his thoughts on brotherhood. Click here for the whole letter:

"...we commonly use this word "brother" in our Order, but what does it mean? Why is it that the chief addresses us as brothers? Why is it that we feel the way we do, about these people that are not even related to us? I suppose it all started when we stepped forward and chose to undertake that Ordeal. That Ordeal weekend, we spent a great amount of time cheerfully serving our camps and communities, cheerfully serving each other. As the day progressed, we started to think differently about one another, we began to feel true brotherhood. That night we were bound together in this brotherhood, and then we heard, at the end of our Ordeal ceremony, an exclamation from our chief: "My Brothers!!! I congratulate you..." Is this what makes us brothers? "


When my wife and I moved to San Diego we had no family and no friends here. We were on our own. And we felt it, too. Starting over. But what makes your brother your brother? Is your brother your brother just because you share the same parents? The article above says it well: your friends become your family through the spirit. We're attached to each other through our spirits and attitudes, through our experiences together. The bond of brotherhood is enhanced when you experience hardships together, work through challenges together. This is where the sum of your abilities becomes greater than the individual parts.

Five years after moving to San Diego my wife and I are martial arts instructors. We still technically do not have any family here. But what we DO have are brothers and sisters, cousins, and mothers through the students we work with. We have closer relationships with some of our students than with our TRUE brothers and sisters. The Order of the Arrow allows you to have the same experience. The Ordeal will tie you to each other forever, so long as you maintain the relationship. The Brotherhood will confirm your commitment to the ideals of the Order of the Arrow. Your Vigil, the most important, is about self-discovery and will anchor your spirit to your true path. The bond you will have with your Vigil Brothers will be beyond words...it really shouldn't even be discussed with another person...it's the spirit of the thing that will tie you together. The depth of understanding yourself.

See you at the top!

Sensei Brian