“I do have one more question about this – if I’m not imposing….” the young man began tentatively. As he sat there in the small, dimly-lit storage room, time just seemed to slip away.
“Fire away. This is the kind of thing that Masons should do more often.” replied the Old Webmaster warmly.
“What kind of credentials should I look for when someone holds themselves out to be an authority on something that deals with Freemasonry?” Surely there must be some rank or membership that could…. He could hear The Old Webmaster inhale. Was it that involved, he thought?
“There’s nothing specific, I’m afraid. However, it’s much like any other field of endeavor. Has the person got practical, hands-on experience in the area he or she is talking or writing about? For example, if someone wants to emote on Masonic Leadership, you should expect to find some evidence of their having actually held positions of leadership, within and without the organization. We can all sit here and criticize our national, state and local political leaders, for example, but if we’ve never run for office and haven’t held office or received academic training in fields like political science, then it’s really all just a lot of hot air. There are LOTS of self-proclaimed ’subject matter experts’ these days.”
“Well, surely you’d have to agree that the Mayor really screwed up on that park issue…” the young man interjected. There was no question about some things – and that was one of them! EVERYONE seemed to agree that there were lots of problems….
“I’m afraid that’s a matter that’s subjective too.” The Old Webmaster interjected with a calm voice. “Let me mention that Masons don’t talk about politics or religion in Lodge and although you’re not a Mason yet and we’re not in a Lodge meeting, I think it would be divisive for us to concentrate on our local politics just to find an example.”
“OK. I see your point but….” the young man really did feel strongly about that park debacle. Millions of dollars…. The Old Webmaster interrupted his train of thought for not the first time.
“I believe that if someone wants to talk about how a Lodge should be managed, then they should have at least managed a Lodge or a similar fraternal organization and have provable evidence that they can walk the walk. When someone rails about what Grand Lodge has done wrong, they should at least have taken part in Grand Lodge meetings and be fully aware of the decision-making process which, in Freemasonry, is really unlike other organizations. Those who want to tell us about Masonic history should have some sort of evidence that they are familiar with their field rather than expecting us to rely on their ‘opinions’. Physicians use a process of ‘peer review’ but in the field of Freemasonry, there’s precious little we can look to for that imprimatur. As in the case of Bernard Fay, for example, little was said critically at the time and to this day his book can be found on library shelves as a reference with no hint whatsoever of his Nazi-motivated intent to wipe out the organization.”
“So what about these Masonic Historians whose writings I see on the web then?” asked the young man. It was true. He’d never run for any political office nor had he managed a large redevelopment project but still…. The Old Webmaster’s voice brought him back from the tangent yet again.
“I’ve found it comical that over the years, those without any credentials are the very first to argue that credentials aren’t necessary. Years ago, the phrase “College doesn’t make the Man” used to be quite popular. Obviously this was in my time somewhere back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Who shouted it from the rooftops? Those who couldn’t or wouldn’t get into college! I myself used it as a rationale for flunking out of college in fact.”
“You…. What?” the young man had been caught off guard before but this was REALLY a shocker. He could see through the shadows, though, that the Old Webmaster’s face bore a broad grin now.
“In some small way, I’m proud of how it all worked out eventually. Knocked me out of puberty and into manhood. After a while in the military where I was at least bright enough to take advantage of the training they were giving me, I went back to college and got that degree – Magna Cum Laude even factoring in my prior failing grades - just to prove to myself that I wasn’t an idiot.” He chuckled broadly. The young man decided that being silent would be best at this point.
The Old Webmaster paused only briefly, savoring a memory. “Going back to school as an adult made me realize that while college wasn’t the be all and end all, it at least put me into the company of people who were broadening their understanding of the world. While it had been fun sitting around with my buddies railing about this or that, it really didn’t advance my life in any significant way. I’ve found that the same is true with Masonic research. You can come up with all sorts of theories on your own and your buddies at the lodge might even buy into them but when your work is examined by other Masonic writers and researchers….” The young man could see him shrug as they sat in the dimly-lit room. From the French Revolution to this.… While the young man remained confused about several things, there was certainly a lot of learning from this MOST interesting conversation.
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