Letter to Members 201522

What OHC Means to Me

My brothers, With our Spring Gathering and a membership vote about a few month out, I wanted to initiate the conversation concerning Oscar and why we want him in our clan. I also wanted to get you thinking about how to answer the question, “What does OHC means to me?” and why you choose to be part of the clan. These are conversation we haven’t approached directly enough in the past and I believe it is a great way to reinforce expectations of one another as kinsmen. To help frame our conversations, here is a bit of history on OHC and what this means to me.

OHC was formed as a brotherhood of outliers, those closest to us that live outside conventional rules and standard by pushing themselves beyond perceived limits. It’s not about pretending we are a gang or “pretending” anything else. It’s about being an actual tribe, and supporting one another to be exceptional. It’s about striving to live by our bylaws, declaration and credo: Fortitudinem et Honorem.

Fortitudinem in Latin has two, equally important meanings in English. It means both “truth” and “strength”. It means the strength to be truthful to yourself and your commitments, with the courage to live them. Honorem is the willingness and ability to “show up”, bringing your best talents to bear, for the benefit of our brothers…even when its hard or seemingly impossible. Honorem is having the strength to maintain your shield. None of it is done because we have to, it’s done because we choose to. It’s brotherhood by choice and membership by action.

That journey began for Drew and I when he took me elk hunting for the first time. We didn’t really know each other well, but we were neighbors and seemed to have several views in common. That first experience was a great one…we both learned some things. Years later, OHC was conceptualized at our elk camp near Steamboat Springs CO. We had a lot of shared time and experiences…by that point we were “brothers” and I had met several of you along the way. We discussed the clan as a group of unique individuals who pursued living extraordinary lives and understood the value of true friendship…the family we would choose. Also, those who we knew could be counted on for real support. And, of course, they had to be hunters of some sort.

A couple of years later, after much more history and many lessons learned, we formalized OHC by issuing the first three rings in 2013, making that commitment to our life-long brotherhood.

As we further defined the meaning and requirements of membership, we drafted initial bylaws. As we’ve added members and broadened our perspective, those requirements have developed. With that evolution I have learned there are levels of commitment, even within the clan. Though we all agree that each standard is valid, some of us choose to live it more purposefully and some of us choose to keep it subdued. Some of us need to be reminded of the standards and some of us reenforce the standards with actions.

Some of those differences make us more well-rounded / grounded, and some may make us vulnerable. But as long as we are having respectful discussions to address discrepancies while we agree on what the OHC commitment means to us collectively, we are an actual tribe [moving forward].

To me, OHC is a commitment to an idea bigger than myself and my immediate family. OHC is the group of people, I’ve chosen for both me and my family, to care about more than myself. OHC is my family through shared experience and fellowship. OHC is my accountability group, with mentors, coaches and teammates throughout. OHC is an energy and influence that strengthens and guides me. OHC is my support group, confidant and counselor. OHC is my “who’s car we gonna take?’” OHC is my “reason” for a lot of things. I choose OHC because OHC choose me, and it is my privilege.

But I am an extremist. I know that and accept it about myself. If I’m in, I’m “ALL IN”. It’s the only way I know to be. I take everything seriously, sometimes even too seriously for some. I’m also a [grumpy] optimist. I may come off a bit intense or awkward, but I try to always hope and plan for the best. For me, that optimism and belief in this brotherhood legitimizes our standards.

That is what OHC means to me. As I’ve moved through life, I’ve seen my circle grow stronger as it’s grown smaller/tighter. I’ve gained and lost friends, met some amazing people and experienced some incredible things. My path has also crossed with some extraordinary people, and as we’ve gotten to know each other, I’ve had to privilege to call some of those people my family. OHC is a large part of that family.

In 9 years, our membership has now grown to 19 members, 2 prospects and at least one solid guy in development. OHC is what we choose to make it, so OHC is who we choose to make it.

If you’ve got questions about Oscar, give me a call. He’s a solid individual who will make a strong member. I’m excited to have him join us. You can also reach out to several other members who’ve gotten to know him over the last two years.

As I have expressed before, I am honored to call each of you my brother. I thank you for your commitment to our clan, my family and me. In a couple of weeks, I’ll email out the Spring Gathering agenda, scheduled for March 24th – 27th 2022. Let me know if you would like to add topics, event ideas or anything else.

At your earliest convenience, please RSVP for the Spring Gathering by emailing or texting me directly. I look forward to seeing those who can attend. For those that cannot, we’ll need your proxy vote(s) and I hope to see you sometime soon!

Your brother, Brent Slaughter