If I didn't already know you were a Scottish Rite mason, I'd know it after reading this post. So many of the themes you discuss in here are echoed in parts of the Scottish Rite work, such as those principles which make for a civil society and our involvement in them and so forth.
Freemasonry as currently operated does embody a lot of the goods de Tocqueville is discussing. But I also think we're in a transitional period where the nature of social association is changing. The world is becoming boundaryless and interconnected in a way de Tocqueville couldn't have guessed. The forms and methods of connection will evolve (here we all are, discussing on Substack), the DNA of the thing isn't going to go away.
What we do stand at risk of losing is broad population understanding of how these mechanisms function and what their value is. How would this be for a great & appropriate Masonic charity: basic civics education for primary school kids.
This is a VITAL message. It touches on many themes, from Voluntarism to the Human Condition (Hannah Arendt), and really gives perspective to Freemasonry's role in modern society -- which in part was created by that exact influence of Freemasonry.
I absolutely agree that these organizations have had a tremendous impact on our society and for the betterment of the nation 99% of the time. The sheer number of organizations that have in some way copied Freemasonry is almost mind boggling except when you stop and think about the fact that Masonry really got a lot right in the foundational structure for running an organization.
However that success has also been copied by other organizations for lesser ends. Since I joined Masonry I have become keenly aware of patterns and symbols in so many other organizations where the Masonic influence is clearly visible. You can even see some of the influence in organizations such as the KKK all the way through biker gangs running chapters and charters, or Mormonism which blatantly copied Masonry. None the less any organization which has lasted more than a few years, has adopted a structure that was at least similar; from the Elks and Moose, Eagles, trade unions, you name it.
The value of people coming together for common cause is not uniquely American but has certainly become a bedrock principle of this country. So much that I would have to agree with the notion that we cannot separate it from our sense of being in this country. It took firm root right from the beginning of the internet. BBSs for everything from hobbies to political action and specialized topics continue to this day. In fact it’s downright impossible to imagine the internet any other way. I’m making a not so subtle argument here that had the internet been invented in any other country at any other time it would not be a force for good. Although there is certainly some bad that we can talk about at another time, for now it’s a rabbit hole worth avoiding.
However one thing did not survive the transition to the internet, in fact you might argue that the internet basically killed it due to its distributed nature and complete irreverence for social norms; that is the organization of the club. The charter or foundational document is no where to be found in these places beyond a simple statement of general idea such as, we love this movie, or hobby, or hate this or want that.
Having been a member of many BBS, chat groups and more I have watched them all go through a similar lifecycle. First is the humble birth, a few people start a thing, then growth, it becomes wildly popular, then infighting and gatekeeping as everyone and their brother is suddenly into the same thing but feels the need to carve out their own version of it. Oh I’m not just goth, I’m glitter goth, industrial goth, steampunk goth, emo and pretty soon the organization suffers death by irrelevance and petty infighting. I’m not into peak oil I’m a homesteader, homesteading is for chumps I’m a doomsday prepper. On and on it goes.
Lacking a foundation, subject to shifting novelty or whims and swimming in anonymous petulance it can be argued that this lack of tether or anchoring could be a contributing factor to why many people in society today feel disconnected even while having unlimited options for connecting to each other through an infinite number of ideas.
And of course this lack of charter, or direction and responsibility becomes a self fulfilling prophecy in lack of civility because they lack a clear leadership and the framework to build that leadership and keep it.
That lack of leadership is endemic now. I see it at work, I see it online, I see it everywhere and I have to end up asking myself if that’s just what I want to see or if that’s really what this is?
Now back to another point about irrelevance. Since we have moved here to the middle of nowhere my wife started looking into finding an organization to join. Eastern star is out for obvious reasons, so we looked at the Elks until she read their history of white nationalism and charter which is just dripping with god and country rhetoric and fanaticism.
Most all of these organizations went through a period during McCarthyism where they leaned heavily into nationalism and god lest they be branded as communists and that work has yet to be undone. This is one of the reasons it’s hard for younger generations to feel any connection to these institutions.
If I didn't already know you were a Scottish Rite mason, I'd know it after reading this post. So many of the themes you discuss in here are echoed in parts of the Scottish Rite work, such as those principles which make for a civil society and our involvement in them and so forth.
Freemasonry as currently operated does embody a lot of the goods de Tocqueville is discussing. But I also think we're in a transitional period where the nature of social association is changing. The world is becoming boundaryless and interconnected in a way de Tocqueville couldn't have guessed. The forms and methods of connection will evolve (here we all are, discussing on Substack), the DNA of the thing isn't going to go away.
What we do stand at risk of losing is broad population understanding of how these mechanisms function and what their value is. How would this be for a great & appropriate Masonic charity: basic civics education for primary school kids.
This is a VITAL message. It touches on many themes, from Voluntarism to the Human Condition (Hannah Arendt), and really gives perspective to Freemasonry's role in modern society -- which in part was created by that exact influence of Freemasonry.
I absolutely agree that these organizations have had a tremendous impact on our society and for the betterment of the nation 99% of the time. The sheer number of organizations that have in some way copied Freemasonry is almost mind boggling except when you stop and think about the fact that Masonry really got a lot right in the foundational structure for running an organization.
However that success has also been copied by other organizations for lesser ends. Since I joined Masonry I have become keenly aware of patterns and symbols in so many other organizations where the Masonic influence is clearly visible. You can even see some of the influence in organizations such as the KKK all the way through biker gangs running chapters and charters, or Mormonism which blatantly copied Masonry. None the less any organization which has lasted more than a few years, has adopted a structure that was at least similar; from the Elks and Moose, Eagles, trade unions, you name it.
The value of people coming together for common cause is not uniquely American but has certainly become a bedrock principle of this country. So much that I would have to agree with the notion that we cannot separate it from our sense of being in this country. It took firm root right from the beginning of the internet. BBSs for everything from hobbies to political action and specialized topics continue to this day. In fact it’s downright impossible to imagine the internet any other way. I’m making a not so subtle argument here that had the internet been invented in any other country at any other time it would not be a force for good. Although there is certainly some bad that we can talk about at another time, for now it’s a rabbit hole worth avoiding.
However one thing did not survive the transition to the internet, in fact you might argue that the internet basically killed it due to its distributed nature and complete irreverence for social norms; that is the organization of the club. The charter or foundational document is no where to be found in these places beyond a simple statement of general idea such as, we love this movie, or hobby, or hate this or want that.
Having been a member of many BBS, chat groups and more I have watched them all go through a similar lifecycle. First is the humble birth, a few people start a thing, then growth, it becomes wildly popular, then infighting and gatekeeping as everyone and their brother is suddenly into the same thing but feels the need to carve out their own version of it. Oh I’m not just goth, I’m glitter goth, industrial goth, steampunk goth, emo and pretty soon the organization suffers death by irrelevance and petty infighting. I’m not into peak oil I’m a homesteader, homesteading is for chumps I’m a doomsday prepper. On and on it goes.
Lacking a foundation, subject to shifting novelty or whims and swimming in anonymous petulance it can be argued that this lack of tether or anchoring could be a contributing factor to why many people in society today feel disconnected even while having unlimited options for connecting to each other through an infinite number of ideas.
And of course this lack of charter, or direction and responsibility becomes a self fulfilling prophecy in lack of civility because they lack a clear leadership and the framework to build that leadership and keep it.
That lack of leadership is endemic now. I see it at work, I see it online, I see it everywhere and I have to end up asking myself if that’s just what I want to see or if that’s really what this is?
Now back to another point about irrelevance. Since we have moved here to the middle of nowhere my wife started looking into finding an organization to join. Eastern star is out for obvious reasons, so we looked at the Elks until she read their history of white nationalism and charter which is just dripping with god and country rhetoric and fanaticism.
Most all of these organizations went through a period during McCarthyism where they leaned heavily into nationalism and god lest they be branded as communists and that work has yet to be undone. This is one of the reasons it’s hard for younger generations to feel any connection to these institutions.