Oaths, pledges, and other sacred acts of allegiance
In Lance Secretan’s latest post, Teaching Values Early, he writes about the new oath that student’s of Thunderbird University’s Gavin School of International Management must sign. It reads as shown below:
As a Thunderbird and a global citizen, I promise:
I will strive to act with honesty and integrity,
I will respect the rights and dignity of all people,
I will strive to create sustainable prosperity worldwide,
I will oppose all forms of corruption and exploitation, and
I will take responsibility for my actions.
As I hold true to these principles, it is my hope that I may enjoy an honorable reputation and peace of conscience.
This pledge I make freely and upon my honor.
As I read this pledge, it made me think of the oaths of office recently taken by the newest members of the United States Congress. Here’s what they say:
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.
Here is a definition of oath from The American Heritage Dictionary, “A solemn, formal declaration or promise to fulfill a pledge, often calling on God, a god, or a sacred object as witness.” It seems to me that oath taking and pledge making are solemn acts that we’ve put aside in much of our modern life. Rather than making a formal vow or swearing to a deity or other sacred symbol, we have become casual about commitment. Many people make promises lightly while others don’t seek to hold people to the promises that they make. People jump into marriage and jump out again, forsaking their vows and the promises they made. People don’t treat their own word as the law, keeping their promises, no matter what.
Now I know life is sometimes messy and we may see things clearly in hindsight that were veiled to us when we made a commitment. We all need wiggle room.
That being said, I also think that we would benefit from being more thoughtful about the decisions we make and more dependable on our word. There are many things in life that deserve our solemn attention and full commitment, whether we’re a President, Pope, Plantiff, or plain ol’ person. Therefore I think it’s time we made oaths and pledges part of our regular experience rather than reserving them for elected officials, courtrooms, and wedding ceremonies. Hurray for the students and administration at Thunderbird for taking a step in that direction.
I welcome your thoughts on this subject.
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