Masonic Musings from ME!

It only takes a couple of people to begin something with far-reaching implications. Pick any one of the hundreds – perhaps thousands – of different civic and charitable endeavors that Freemasons support and you’ll find that the idea began with one individual seeing a need and having the courage to act on it. We can read in the history of the Shrine of North America how the concept for a Shrine Children’s Hospital for Crippled Children was first proposed and was met with thunderous applause. I was fortunate to have known J. Philip Berquist who was the ‘guiding light’ for the creation of the 32° Scottish Rite Children’s Learning Centers in the Northern United States. Only one Learning Center will ever be named after an individual: it’s named after someone who made a great deal of difference in my Masonic life. Now I wish I hadn’t been so problematic for him when he was ritualist in our Lodge….

Few today realize that the D.A.R.E. program began with initial funding by Masons or that the first major ‘corporate’ sponsor of Jerry Lewis’ Telethon was the Tall Cedars Of Lebanon, another Masonic group. The Grotto – another Masonic organization – has a terrific program for the very under-addressed issue of dental care for the handicapped while in other locations, Masons are buying lifesaving equipment that community fire and ambulance departments need but can’t afford. The National Masonic Student Assistance Program is making a significant difference in the lives of so many youth and the Masonic ChIPS Program has provided security and protection in a way that is so unique.

None of us may ever reach the pinacles of lasting accomplishment as the men who first conceived those programs but we can – each in our own way – make a difference as we move through life.

Sometimes, it’s a random thing. For me, having been inactive in Masonry for 4-5 years due to a move to a new location, it was finding kindred spirits on the old CompuServe Masonry Forum. Chatting online about goals and aspirations became a catalyst for SO many who were there then. For others today, it might be reading a Masonic blog and – along the way – finding something that really ‘clicked’ for them personally. I truly believe that writing about Masonry tends to move us toward more activity in our fraternal life and I’m truly excited about the blossoming crop of those who want to blog about Masonry in action.

Welcome to Brother Jack Roberts whose blog, ‘Freemasonry – A Worthy Path’, should certainly be added to your blogroll! He’s just starting it but based on what he’s written so far, this will be a definate must read. There’s a lot of foolishness splattered about the blogsphere by a mere three disgruntled, expelled Masons hiding behind a half-dozen or more different blogs. They’d like to convince others that Freemasonry (except the abberation THEY are touting) is dead. Look around! Arriving late in this venue, we’re now seeing the start of a trend with more and more REAL Masons accentuating the positive. It’s easy to destroy but it’s FAR harder to build. I joined Masonry to be a BUILDER – and my Brothers on my links did so too. This is a trend that’s worth expanding.

Technorati Tags: freemasonry, freemasons, shriners, masons

A new blog has appeared and I’ve linked to it over on your right. The Tao of Freemasonry is written by Bro. Tom Accuosti of Connecticut and reflects both his enjoyment of his Masonic travels and his wit. Tom first appeared on the alt.freemasonry Usenet newsgroup well before he decided to join the fraternity and during the intervening years he’s been a constant source of inspiration as well as a role model for good judgement and positive growth. Over the past couple of weeks, he’d posted some excellent messages recounting recent experiences as Master of his lodge. I dropped him a note asking if I could post the most recent here. Tom replied with permission and lamented that he’d never done his own blog.

Well by golly two days later there it was. So instead of doing the ‘let’s copy somebody else’s stuff’ dance, why not add Tom’s blog to your roll. Bet you’ll enjoy it as much as I have. And don’t forget who got him off his butt with this blog thing! Tom is an inveterate punster so I expect we’ll see some punning from time to time as well.

Technorati Tags: Freemasonry, freemasons, blogs, masonic 

There are precious few Diarists in the world today. I work with one of them. She spends at least a half-hour every day writing her experiences and thoughts into a diary and has been doing so for all of her adult life, starting as a teen into her now mid-40s. When I first learned of this, I was positively awed: the dedication it took, the wonderful memories she had created for herself, the time committment, the great opportunity to learn and grow, and the sheer drudgery of it all. She has told me that no one reads it but herself and likely that’s true but each time I see her during the day, there’s that sparkling instant of thought that makes me wonder: will I be a subject of tonight’s entry? If I say something – anything – could it wind up in a spiral notebook and later become Exhibit One in some sort of administrative law court proceeding? Is this what she has come to believe is her secret weapon against the world or is she simply bored?

Blogs can invoke restiveness on a different plane. For the appointed/elected leadership of Freemasonry, it can be that same kind of angst I get whenever the thought of Joan’s diary passes – unsummoned – through the edges of my consciousness.

Years ago, when someone had something to say, their voice extended only about twice as far as their arm. Today, without the benefit of editorship for either grammar or content, they can be heard around the world. We humans seem to be ‘wired’ so things someone says are quickly forgotten but when it’s on the computer screen, there’s a far greater significance than they deserve. What’s particularly scary is – to return to the analogy of my local diarist – there’s no difference between a well-thought out essay and a case of verbal diarehha. When we appear at certain events, whether its an office meeting or a Little League game, the vast majority of us will have clothes and MINDS appropriate for the event. Not so when approaching the diary where a pique or joy or a minute before becomes a memory for the ages, written in haste or anger or as can be seen on many a blog, intoxication and visible to all.

Temperance seems to be the one cardinal virtue that those online seem to have the most difficulty controlling so it stands to reason that if blogging becomes an intregal part of the landscape (my guess is that it will be the ‘pet rock’ of these couple of years), you’ll learn of a few incidents whereby a Mason is called to task for his online behavior. What a couple of them will fail to acknowledge is that their online actions will have besmirched the reputation of the organization and – just as if they’d written a blog about their employer’s work policies or whatever – they will have to answer for it. When we read of Microsoft taking action against an employee for blogging about the appearance of some Apple computers on a loading dock, many will come to the defense of the individual: that mean ol’ company can’t control what an employee can say after all. But wake up and smell the coffee here: government decides when and if you can smoke cigarettes, insurance companies decide how much you’ll be forced to spend if you weigh too much for their liking, and your boss – whether you like it or not – decides the length of your workday and what your performance level will be during the course of it. In fact, some employers control even more of your life with rejection of promotions or continued employment if you do certain ‘prohibited’ things during your NON work time. Remember all of that if you read about the ‘evil censorship’ that was ostensibly imposed upon a single member or two of a multi-million member organization. You should know too that such actions are NEVER taken lightly – at least in the Masonic venue – and that in an organization where “harmony (is) the strength and support of all institutions, more especially this of ours”, any type of activity circumscribing the freedom of the individual is an anathema.

Oh, and just so we’re all on the same page: this is not to say that Masonic leadership in a given jurisdiction will be infallible. Everyone makes mistakes. Just because someone is given a leadership role – in Masonry, in government, in the military, in the workplace – is no reason to assume that they are or will be right in every decision they make. However, When bad decisions occur it seems to me that flogging a dead horse really isn’t going to accomplish very much. Those folks who feel they’ve been victimized in the workplace, for example, can recite a litany of grievances along with – sometimes – a checklist of steps they’d taken to mitigate things. While some achieve a high profile for the egregiousness of the acts against them, the vast majority of indignations seem to stem from personal ambitions unfulfilled and aspirations blocked. There also seems to be a common chord of ego that refuses to accept authority of any kind.

The morale? If you read a blog criticizing the institution of Freemasonry, look behind the curtain to find out more, particularly about the motivations of the author.

Technorati Tags: Freemasonry, Masonry, Masonic, Free-Masonry, Fake Masonry

Over the past couple of years, several Grand Lodges have begun multiple websites: one for the ‘official’ stuff (forms etc.) along with a pro-forma photo gallery of official events. A second website is developed to show the vibrant activity that’s so much a part of Freemasonry: young fellows and older ones working together toward mutual goals. 

Sometimes those approaching Freemasonry express the concern that they won’t get along with all of the old guys they see in the pictures on Grand Lodge websites. Those ‘grip and grab’ photos often show someone in his eighties receiving a 50 year award and make it seem like it’s only old men in the organization. They’ve also heard about how the average age of masons is over (whatever it is now) and they don’t feel that it’s something for them.

It’s true that there are a lot of Masons who’ve been around for a long time but look beyond those pictures, grasshopper!

What you see is a person being honored for a lifetime of service – and that’s not something that a lot of organizations can brag about. In Freemasonry, you see LOTS of those pictures. Sure, not all of those fellows have been active and involved all that time – and for a few, it may only have been once or twice a decade they attended lodge. But think about it: each year, every year, good conditions or bad, whether they were involved or not, they kept up their dues payments because THEY felt that being a Freemason was worthwhile. How many clubs or organizations that you have even a passing interest in today will you remember 50 years from now? Moreover, how many of them will recognize you in this way? Most likely they won’t even exist!

What you also see is a kindly ‘grandfather-type’ figure: someone you can TRUST! My local news station recently ran a story about a local group that was forming to provide some guidance for those who don’t have extended families where they can talk to and get advice from those who’ve ‘been through it all’. Clearly, they haven’t looked at Masonry!

Go to the obituaries and read a few: “Masonic service will be held at….” is found scattered throughout those sad announcements. Start counting and you’ll see that the frequency of such a reference FAR exceeds that of any other organization. Why? Because once a person becomes a Mason, it becomes VERY important to them – and in a way that’s FAR different than any other organization you’ll encounter.

And what’s the most surprising is that so many of those old fellows could race you around the block twice, mentally if not physically. Those who are actively participating in lodge events, despite their chronological age, tend to be VERY much aware. Sure, they may not know what the latest song craze is and they may not be concerned about Brad & Angelina but they DO know an awful lot – and it’s stuff they’re more than happy to talk with someone about. You don’t want to go listen to some old man tell stories? Maybe not but you’ll find that they’ll be content to listen to your stories if you’d like and if you take a breath to let them interject something, you’ll understand that there’s a ton of wisdom there that’s yours for free. You don’t find things like this at work, online, down at the local pub or at the union hall nor will you find it hanging out on the internet: it’s happening at lodge meetings all over the world.

To me, the beauty of it all was that I could learn lessons from someone who’d made the mistakes before me – and develop some true and lasting friendships along the way. Some of my best friends are those ‘old Masons’ who aren’t really old at all. Someday when I’m old, I hope someone will think the same thing when they think about me.

Technorati Tags: Freemasonry, masonic, masons