Thanks for posting Paine's wisdom here. I've been a huge fan of his rhetoric ever since reading The Age of Reason as a young man. This quote is certainly on point!
I'm a member of a lodge that has the Filipino brothers as the majority of its members. I love being a member of this lodge. The brotherhood is fantastic. The wives are involved at every stated meeting night. The wives have activities in the dining area downstairs while the Masons have their stated meeting. Either before, or after the stated meeting, activities and a hearty dinner are enjoyed by all.
I have never encountered a group of men who value being a Mason, as highly as these Filipino brothers do. Even among the brothers in lodge, when someone is introduced to them as Worshipful Brother or Very Worshipful Brother, the demeanor changes to one of showing respect and high regard.
I'm familiar with a similar culture. My wife is from Indonesia, and when she introduced me to her family, the younger members took my hand and held it to their forehead. I asked my wife later, what was that all about. It is a sign of respect for your elders and also used as respecgt for those in high offices.
One of the members relayed to me one night, how becoming a Mason in the Philippines differs from here. I am merely passing on what was communicated to me.
When a man wants to petition a lodge for membership over there, before they are even initiated as an EA, their first year is spent providing meals and tending to the lodge needs. One full year from the time you petition, BEFORE you can be initiated.
The costs can end up north of $20,000, in which $10,000 is spent in that first year. $10,000 before you are even balloted on.
Yet, there are those who will happily pay that and perform the duties required, to obtain the status of a Mason.
Would that work here? We would have quite a few less lodges than we do today, I think.
I don't know which Lodge you are a member of, but I am aware of two that are as you describe. And you're right, both are quite superb. I've also heard stories about Masonry in the Philippines, and how much it differs from here, in the ways you mention.
Would men want to be Masons here if it was as large a commitment as it is there? Or would the whole thing collapse? That's certainly a valuable thing for us to ponder as Masons.
The newer generation is seeking out the tough instructions and critiques. Not crotchety griping, rather suggestions for improvement and admonishments for not maintaining standards.
That, of course, puts the responsibility back on the mentors. WE have to maintain our excellence in what we do. When WE are excellent, the young crowd will emulate us, and if we have anything to say, they WILL listen to us, as long as we maintain the standard.
Back about 2009 or so, one of our Past Deputies needed to take Part ‘B’ of the Proficiency in Lodge Management exam. This involves reciting the ritual needed to open and close a Lodge, call up and down through the degrees and also calling from Labor to Refreshment and back. Out of courtesy as I followed him as Deputy (I was Deputy at the time) I asked how hard did he want me to test him. He wanted it at the level I was working at, as we were both Deputies/Past Deputies. We started at 7:30 PM at the Lodge. I got home around 1 in the morning. There were times where I was starting to get frustrated, but he reminded me that he wanted to do it right, and not to lower my standards. And I didn’t. He did indeed pass.
And the same applied to me. I received my proficiency in the Standard Work in each degree, one at a time, refreshing the previous ones as I tackled the new ones. Three different Deputies, including Cameron. All of them held me to that same Standard, and just like that Past Deputy, it took a while. And it was also frustrating and taxing, but it was worth it.
Iron sharpens iron. The young men are joining our Fraternity for that reason, not to find iron being “sharpened” by plastic butter knives. The “Happy Days” era was cool for its time, but it’s nostalgia. It no longer applies today.
Based on my own observations, I agree. The young men coming into our Lodges want substance and challenge, not just a once a month social club. And that's a very good thing.
Our role, I think, as old farts is to provide them help, as needed, but to get out of the way. I've run Lodges, I need not do so again. What must be avoided by me and my fellow old farts, at all costs though, are:
1. Refusing to give up control. Sure the new guys won't run things exactly the way we did. That doesn't mean that they are wrong.
2. Becoming one of those guys who sits there objecting to everything in a loud voice, trying to exercise a heckler's veto.
“Our role, I think, as old farts is to provide them help, as needed, but to get out of the way. I've run Lodges, I need not do so again.” And yet I’m heading to the East a 4th time in 2028. As you mention, I have no desire to do it; the Lodge elected me into the line. As such, it’ll be a guiding and training year. The best way to do that is to build on the previous years and invite new ideas from those behind me, with overall guidance expected from a 30-year Mason. I invite all who attend those meetings to take notes.
“Refusing to give up control. Sure the new guys won't run things exactly the way we did. That doesn't mean that they are wrong.” This is what is cool about our Centralia Lodge. I think the fear that I have about “refusing to give up control” is that over the years, many times I’ve handed the baton to someone else because I want to retire from a position or need to, the successor failed. Not because I failed to train, it’s because the successor wasn’t listening and was determined to do it his way regardless of the advice and admonitions I gave throughout the transition period. This happened in the positions of Secretary and the Worshipful Master (or the concordant body’s equivalent.) And when I mean “failure,” I don’t mean he failed because I myself didn’t approve of the way he handled it, the Lodge considered the situation to be a failure. Over time, this tends to make you fearful of letting go of the reins when you see a pattern of problems after you walk away, and you get more clingy with your control, which is not good. This can be solved by looking back on how you select and train your replacements. But when the replacement wasn’t selected by you, or you didn’t have a choice to select, it can get trickier. You do the best you can. But for me in Centralia with the new Brothers, they’re picking up the baton and running hard with it, doing things that I could only dream of in the past. I love it, but that nasty habit of being afraid of letting go of the control is nagging me like a “Spidey sense.” But it does make me stay diligent about the mentoring and how I do it. Good news is that I’m thinking I’ve struck the right balance, as our Lodge is doing great and moving forward, while I kick back on the sidelines.
“Becoming one of those guys who sits there objecting to everything in a loud voice, trying to exercise a heckler's veto.” Don’t EVEN get me started on this. It seems to be the way people in general act nowadays to get their agenda passed. To me, anyone that has to talk over someone with an opposing point of view has already lost the debate, and their credibility. If you’re doing the right thing, you don’t have to shout down people who think differently. And at Lodge, the old, crotchety hollering from clear across the room is almost as bad. And being old is NOT an excuse whatsoever. I’ve heard too damn many people (almost all men) say something on the order of “I’m old, and I’m retired, and I can do and say whatever the hell I want!” WRONG. Just because you’re retired from your job doesn’t mean you’ve retired from being a member of society. And young kids and teenagers look up to the older folk for emulation and inspiration. Young people ARE watching what you’re doing and saying just like they do with their parents. Be the example at all times. It’s what you’re doing when you think nobody’s watching that truly reveals what kind of person you really are.
What was that term again? Civility? Yeah, I think that’s what it’s called…
“In other words, I stopped not because I lost my love of those things, but because I became an adult with adult responsibilities.”
I think it’s more that the priorities change; the adult responsibilities take the forefront, while the things you did freely in the past now have less time available. I did the STP back in 2010, but now if I wanted to do it again, I’d have to carefully carve out the time for the training. It won’t be as impulsive as it was 16 years ago. Same with the motorcycle. It’s still there, and I’m working on it a little at a time, but 20 years ago it would have been on the road by now.
Come to think of it, this reminds me of a story I told Chad and our newcomer, Dylan, last night. I was painting the Lodge room and the associated rooms during the summer of 2016. I was 2/3 of the way through painting the back room with the mirror when the light bulb went off:
Why am I painting a Lodge room, when MY OWN HOUSE hasn’t been painted since 1997???
To be fair, I did finish my work in that mirror room, but I told the Temple Board that was it for me, I really need to take care of my OWN house before the weather get bad. I accomplished that task, while other Lodge members completed the Lodge room painting, although it took a few years.
Yes. I guess you can say we’re adults now, or we’re “grown up,” but it’s more that the new responsibilities make us rearrange our priorities.
I was blessed with a lodge when I joined that valued excellence in the ritual. I was held, and I in turn held myself, to a high standard. Sadly, not everyone holds those standards as important. I’ve also found younger brothers that get upset as they go through the chairs to find out those standards apply to them, instead they believe it’s “their turn” is justification enough.
“I’ve also found younger brothers that get upset as they go through the chairs to find out those standards apply to them, instead they believe it’s “their turn” is justification enough.”
Fortunately, I haven’t seen that in my area in a while. Here’s a good example.
Last month, we conferred 3 EA Degrees at one of my Lodges. One, then two at a time on the next go-around. The first EA conferral was … not good. Lots of botched ritual. The WM thought he had it down but didn’t, and the SD was totally flat-footed. For the next degree, the Secretary was set to confer it and immediately upon taking the east while the candidates were getting prepped, he made an executive decision to move me into the SD position. The SD had no defense, so he relinquished the jewel to me and I conducted one of the two candidates, but I did talk the conferring WM into letting the installed SD conduct the 2nd candidate. It didn’t take much cajoling as all agreed the only way he’s going to learn is to get some experience. Those degrees went much better.
We will be conferring an EA tonight in that same Lodge. The conferring Master had asked the SD if he had done any studying/practice. As I was designated to conduct tonight, my guess is the answer was “no.” I’m fine with wherever they need me for ritual work, but I do know that I’ve been in that SD’s position back when I was in grade school and I was passed over for someone else because I didn’t do the homework (mostly on PE class sports teams) and it was embarrassing and shameful to me to get kicked to the bench. It took a while for me to get the “hustle” (I think I told the story of the soccer game here before when I was the goalie) but when my peers saw me step up to the plate and make the effort, respect promptly increased. I saw the pattern and I learned. It was a real growing-up moment for me. I’m glad to carry that forward into the Masonic Lodge, and I hope that I am inspiring the newer members to get that “hustle” as well. I think I am with some of them.
It’s led me to a personal quandary. You’re right, how are they going to get better if they don’t get the experience to do so? But that also flies in the face of my firm belief that the degree is all about the candidate, and every effort should be made to make that experience as best we can. Letting a major player like the SD not performing his role well detracts from that. Ideally the SD should have make the effort to perform his role as expected to begin with. It’s also rough when I ask if the brother thinks he’s ready, he assures me he is, then falls apart under pressure. You lose a bit of trust when that happens.
It’s a difficult choice I’ve had to make more than once. Some of the worst degrees I’ve ever experienced were performed by brothers who should not have been there. And as a lodge we should practice until it’s right, but a person can’t rely on the lodge, it requires time spent at home in self study. You’re not going to learn the ritual opening the ciphers once a week.
“It’s also rough when I ask if the brother thinks he’s ready, he assures me he is, then falls apart under pressure. You lose a bit of trust when that happens.”
Yeah. That was the first time I visited your Lodge. That was a rough degree. I felt really bad for that one. I know where you’re coming from.
I think that the only viable solution to this quandary is to hold a practice very shortly prior to the Degree. Because you are right, we don't want someone in a major role who can't do the work, but Clayton's right that they won't learn unless we let them learn.
A practice right before, maybe we'll see if they are good enough or not.
But, of course that doesn't address the fellow who gets stage fright and freezes.
"It's Bob's Turn!" Otherwise known as too much adherence to the idea of a progressive line promises mediocrity. Freemasonry needs to be a meritocracy if it is to thrive, just as with everything else in our society.
"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; 'tis dearness only that gives everything its value" - Thomas Paine 1776
Thanks for posting Paine's wisdom here. I've been a huge fan of his rhetoric ever since reading The Age of Reason as a young man. This quote is certainly on point!
I'm a member of a lodge that has the Filipino brothers as the majority of its members. I love being a member of this lodge. The brotherhood is fantastic. The wives are involved at every stated meeting night. The wives have activities in the dining area downstairs while the Masons have their stated meeting. Either before, or after the stated meeting, activities and a hearty dinner are enjoyed by all.
I have never encountered a group of men who value being a Mason, as highly as these Filipino brothers do. Even among the brothers in lodge, when someone is introduced to them as Worshipful Brother or Very Worshipful Brother, the demeanor changes to one of showing respect and high regard.
I'm familiar with a similar culture. My wife is from Indonesia, and when she introduced me to her family, the younger members took my hand and held it to their forehead. I asked my wife later, what was that all about. It is a sign of respect for your elders and also used as respecgt for those in high offices.
One of the members relayed to me one night, how becoming a Mason in the Philippines differs from here. I am merely passing on what was communicated to me.
When a man wants to petition a lodge for membership over there, before they are even initiated as an EA, their first year is spent providing meals and tending to the lodge needs. One full year from the time you petition, BEFORE you can be initiated.
The costs can end up north of $20,000, in which $10,000 is spent in that first year. $10,000 before you are even balloted on.
Yet, there are those who will happily pay that and perform the duties required, to obtain the status of a Mason.
Would that work here? We would have quite a few less lodges than we do today, I think.
"Would that work here?"
You've set up quite a thought experiment.
I don't know which Lodge you are a member of, but I am aware of two that are as you describe. And you're right, both are quite superb. I've also heard stories about Masonry in the Philippines, and how much it differs from here, in the ways you mention.
Would men want to be Masons here if it was as large a commitment as it is there? Or would the whole thing collapse? That's certainly a valuable thing for us to ponder as Masons.
I cannot say TRUE enough times!!!! Thank you for those very overlooked words my good Sir!
Thank you Brother! I'm pleased you liked this little essay.
It’s true, though.
The newer generation is seeking out the tough instructions and critiques. Not crotchety griping, rather suggestions for improvement and admonishments for not maintaining standards.
That, of course, puts the responsibility back on the mentors. WE have to maintain our excellence in what we do. When WE are excellent, the young crowd will emulate us, and if we have anything to say, they WILL listen to us, as long as we maintain the standard.
Back about 2009 or so, one of our Past Deputies needed to take Part ‘B’ of the Proficiency in Lodge Management exam. This involves reciting the ritual needed to open and close a Lodge, call up and down through the degrees and also calling from Labor to Refreshment and back. Out of courtesy as I followed him as Deputy (I was Deputy at the time) I asked how hard did he want me to test him. He wanted it at the level I was working at, as we were both Deputies/Past Deputies. We started at 7:30 PM at the Lodge. I got home around 1 in the morning. There were times where I was starting to get frustrated, but he reminded me that he wanted to do it right, and not to lower my standards. And I didn’t. He did indeed pass.
And the same applied to me. I received my proficiency in the Standard Work in each degree, one at a time, refreshing the previous ones as I tackled the new ones. Three different Deputies, including Cameron. All of them held me to that same Standard, and just like that Past Deputy, it took a while. And it was also frustrating and taxing, but it was worth it.
Iron sharpens iron. The young men are joining our Fraternity for that reason, not to find iron being “sharpened” by plastic butter knives. The “Happy Days” era was cool for its time, but it’s nostalgia. It no longer applies today.
Based on my own observations, I agree. The young men coming into our Lodges want substance and challenge, not just a once a month social club. And that's a very good thing.
Our role, I think, as old farts is to provide them help, as needed, but to get out of the way. I've run Lodges, I need not do so again. What must be avoided by me and my fellow old farts, at all costs though, are:
1. Refusing to give up control. Sure the new guys won't run things exactly the way we did. That doesn't mean that they are wrong.
2. Becoming one of those guys who sits there objecting to everything in a loud voice, trying to exercise a heckler's veto.
I’m going to bring this into more focus:
“Our role, I think, as old farts is to provide them help, as needed, but to get out of the way. I've run Lodges, I need not do so again.” And yet I’m heading to the East a 4th time in 2028. As you mention, I have no desire to do it; the Lodge elected me into the line. As such, it’ll be a guiding and training year. The best way to do that is to build on the previous years and invite new ideas from those behind me, with overall guidance expected from a 30-year Mason. I invite all who attend those meetings to take notes.
“Refusing to give up control. Sure the new guys won't run things exactly the way we did. That doesn't mean that they are wrong.” This is what is cool about our Centralia Lodge. I think the fear that I have about “refusing to give up control” is that over the years, many times I’ve handed the baton to someone else because I want to retire from a position or need to, the successor failed. Not because I failed to train, it’s because the successor wasn’t listening and was determined to do it his way regardless of the advice and admonitions I gave throughout the transition period. This happened in the positions of Secretary and the Worshipful Master (or the concordant body’s equivalent.) And when I mean “failure,” I don’t mean he failed because I myself didn’t approve of the way he handled it, the Lodge considered the situation to be a failure. Over time, this tends to make you fearful of letting go of the reins when you see a pattern of problems after you walk away, and you get more clingy with your control, which is not good. This can be solved by looking back on how you select and train your replacements. But when the replacement wasn’t selected by you, or you didn’t have a choice to select, it can get trickier. You do the best you can. But for me in Centralia with the new Brothers, they’re picking up the baton and running hard with it, doing things that I could only dream of in the past. I love it, but that nasty habit of being afraid of letting go of the control is nagging me like a “Spidey sense.” But it does make me stay diligent about the mentoring and how I do it. Good news is that I’m thinking I’ve struck the right balance, as our Lodge is doing great and moving forward, while I kick back on the sidelines.
“Becoming one of those guys who sits there objecting to everything in a loud voice, trying to exercise a heckler's veto.” Don’t EVEN get me started on this. It seems to be the way people in general act nowadays to get their agenda passed. To me, anyone that has to talk over someone with an opposing point of view has already lost the debate, and their credibility. If you’re doing the right thing, you don’t have to shout down people who think differently. And at Lodge, the old, crotchety hollering from clear across the room is almost as bad. And being old is NOT an excuse whatsoever. I’ve heard too damn many people (almost all men) say something on the order of “I’m old, and I’m retired, and I can do and say whatever the hell I want!” WRONG. Just because you’re retired from your job doesn’t mean you’ve retired from being a member of society. And young kids and teenagers look up to the older folk for emulation and inspiration. Young people ARE watching what you’re doing and saying just like they do with their parents. Be the example at all times. It’s what you’re doing when you think nobody’s watching that truly reveals what kind of person you really are.
What was that term again? Civility? Yeah, I think that’s what it’s called…
>>>It’s what you’re doing when you think nobody’s watching that truly reveals what >>>kind of person you really are.
Yep. This. Exactly.
“In other words, I stopped not because I lost my love of those things, but because I became an adult with adult responsibilities.”
I think it’s more that the priorities change; the adult responsibilities take the forefront, while the things you did freely in the past now have less time available. I did the STP back in 2010, but now if I wanted to do it again, I’d have to carefully carve out the time for the training. It won’t be as impulsive as it was 16 years ago. Same with the motorcycle. It’s still there, and I’m working on it a little at a time, but 20 years ago it would have been on the road by now.
Come to think of it, this reminds me of a story I told Chad and our newcomer, Dylan, last night. I was painting the Lodge room and the associated rooms during the summer of 2016. I was 2/3 of the way through painting the back room with the mirror when the light bulb went off:
Why am I painting a Lodge room, when MY OWN HOUSE hasn’t been painted since 1997???
To be fair, I did finish my work in that mirror room, but I told the Temple Board that was it for me, I really need to take care of my OWN house before the weather get bad. I accomplished that task, while other Lodge members completed the Lodge room painting, although it took a few years.
Yes. I guess you can say we’re adults now, or we’re “grown up,” but it’s more that the new responsibilities make us rearrange our priorities.
I was blessed with a lodge when I joined that valued excellence in the ritual. I was held, and I in turn held myself, to a high standard. Sadly, not everyone holds those standards as important. I’ve also found younger brothers that get upset as they go through the chairs to find out those standards apply to them, instead they believe it’s “their turn” is justification enough.
Nope.
“I’ve also found younger brothers that get upset as they go through the chairs to find out those standards apply to them, instead they believe it’s “their turn” is justification enough.”
Fortunately, I haven’t seen that in my area in a while. Here’s a good example.
Last month, we conferred 3 EA Degrees at one of my Lodges. One, then two at a time on the next go-around. The first EA conferral was … not good. Lots of botched ritual. The WM thought he had it down but didn’t, and the SD was totally flat-footed. For the next degree, the Secretary was set to confer it and immediately upon taking the east while the candidates were getting prepped, he made an executive decision to move me into the SD position. The SD had no defense, so he relinquished the jewel to me and I conducted one of the two candidates, but I did talk the conferring WM into letting the installed SD conduct the 2nd candidate. It didn’t take much cajoling as all agreed the only way he’s going to learn is to get some experience. Those degrees went much better.
We will be conferring an EA tonight in that same Lodge. The conferring Master had asked the SD if he had done any studying/practice. As I was designated to conduct tonight, my guess is the answer was “no.” I’m fine with wherever they need me for ritual work, but I do know that I’ve been in that SD’s position back when I was in grade school and I was passed over for someone else because I didn’t do the homework (mostly on PE class sports teams) and it was embarrassing and shameful to me to get kicked to the bench. It took a while for me to get the “hustle” (I think I told the story of the soccer game here before when I was the goalie) but when my peers saw me step up to the plate and make the effort, respect promptly increased. I saw the pattern and I learned. It was a real growing-up moment for me. I’m glad to carry that forward into the Masonic Lodge, and I hope that I am inspiring the newer members to get that “hustle” as well. I think I am with some of them.
It’s led me to a personal quandary. You’re right, how are they going to get better if they don’t get the experience to do so? But that also flies in the face of my firm belief that the degree is all about the candidate, and every effort should be made to make that experience as best we can. Letting a major player like the SD not performing his role well detracts from that. Ideally the SD should have make the effort to perform his role as expected to begin with. It’s also rough when I ask if the brother thinks he’s ready, he assures me he is, then falls apart under pressure. You lose a bit of trust when that happens.
It’s a difficult choice I’ve had to make more than once. Some of the worst degrees I’ve ever experienced were performed by brothers who should not have been there. And as a lodge we should practice until it’s right, but a person can’t rely on the lodge, it requires time spent at home in self study. You’re not going to learn the ritual opening the ciphers once a week.
“It’s also rough when I ask if the brother thinks he’s ready, he assures me he is, then falls apart under pressure. You lose a bit of trust when that happens.”
Yeah. That was the first time I visited your Lodge. That was a rough degree. I felt really bad for that one. I know where you’re coming from.
I think that the only viable solution to this quandary is to hold a practice very shortly prior to the Degree. Because you are right, we don't want someone in a major role who can't do the work, but Clayton's right that they won't learn unless we let them learn.
A practice right before, maybe we'll see if they are good enough or not.
But, of course that doesn't address the fellow who gets stage fright and freezes.
"It's Bob's Turn!" Otherwise known as too much adherence to the idea of a progressive line promises mediocrity. Freemasonry needs to be a meritocracy if it is to thrive, just as with everything else in our society.