A massive amount of information in this post. Thank you as always for your time and shared knowledge you put forth in all of your posts. I understand and agree with much of what you have shared, with exception to the expense of putting out quality information concerning the Ancient Craft.
In no way do I think investing a small amount of money to a good cause that puts forth knowledge is a bad thing. Seeking Light is difficult for all of us who are what I like to call, "Hungry for Knowledge".
This is where I slightly disagree with the idea that money has to be spent on a monthly, quarterly or yearly area on the internet to share this knowledge.
The endless available outlets for websites are out there for all of us to use. My personal website that I use costs me 60.00 a year. I understand that this does cost money from the Brother who is providing this information because he has a website but it is only 60.00 a year and any Brother out there who enjoys sharing what they have to say concerning the Ancient Craft isn't doing it for the making of money. At least they shouldn't be in my opinion.
There are exceptions to my above comments. Emeth shared the Brother who travels to interview Men of the Craft. That does take money and is a very unique resource that I completely agree with the subscription based website.
When I speak to the topic of shared information on the internet, previous decades of periodicals and out of print books I must say that there is an endless amount of topics, data etc. that is relatable to today's Freemason.
In my Jurisdiction of Oregon there were very energetic Brothers from post WW 2 that created a magazine named "Oregon Freemason". Sure, the content was mostly Oregon specific but the quality of the shared light is amazing to read. These magazines are currently being scanned and provided for free from the volunteer hours put forth at the Grand Lodge of Oregon Library and Museum. I will assume that in other jurisdictions there were Brothers who did the same thing that was done in the Oregon Jurisdiction. There are other periodicals that were published on a subscription basis.
That was prior to the technology that we have today.
A quality magazine can be put together with a word program and using the outlets via the internet.
This is all an investment into all of our personal paths as Freemason's.
Seeking light and finding it should not cost money in my humble opinion. A small investment to help the annual subscription of a website I can understand but sharing this light of knowledge that some of us enjoy making available is a passion and doesn't need to be paid for.
We just need Brothers to volunteer their time and share their new found knowledge and thoughts on the Ancient Craft on a platform that is available at a very low cost or no cost at all.
I am a believer that a zero investment for the Light of Brothers should be out there. Knowledge should be free to the hungry Freemason.
Great topic. I enjoy the brain food. I look forward to more content.
I'm old school, in that I firmly believe that the internet should be free. The flow of information shouldn't be controlled or bartered. As brother Johnny mentioned, there are many ways of providing resources for free, or very little cost. Trestle boards can be created using a word processor (I can find the entire MS Office suite online for around $60 bucks) and emailed using a free mailing list like google groups. Web hosting that can provide discussion boards etc that doesn't require knowledge of HTML can be had for free (if you don't mind the advertising they add) or as Johnny said, around $60 dollars a year.
I certainly don't fault anyone requesting financial support for their endeavors but it seems like everyone is hopping on this subscription model. I'd go broke if I supported everyone that I would like to support. I don't belong to a bunch of lodges, only one, which I am a life member. I am also a life member of my motorcycle rights group ABATE, and my local VFW. The only group I am not a life member is the Scottish Rite, which I do plan on fixing eventually. I hate annual dues or subscriptions. So I do everything I can to eliminate them. The fact that GL levies annual assessments pisses me off to no end, and that is only $28 dollars a year.
Jan 3, 2023·edited Jan 4, 2023Liked by Cameron M. Bailey
Happy New Year Most Worshipful Sir! This is a great topic and one that deserves both structural and transactional attention.
Transactional: Should we be willing to pay for value? Sure. That's the easy part.
Structural: I think there are a few issues that deserve reckoning.
First, make sure that Masonic gatherings, both virtual and in-person, and publications are valuable. There have been many discussions in this forum about the absence of value in too many of our encounters. It's clear that we've become a little too comfortable with empty encounters. Personally, I joined this Fraternity because I was told that we help good men become better. To that end, it does me no good to partake in any encounter unless I leave with something to think about and to use as a potential path to personal growth. With that criteria in mind, think of the time and money we put into encounters that don't come close to fulfilling this criteria. (Rather than record a rant of my own, each of us can certainly come up with our own lists).
Second, matching cost to value will be difficult to solve on a piecemeal basis. Let's stipulate that the various publications and forums you've cited deserve financial support. Undertaking funding for these endeavors individually will likely be a long and difficult process, not because they lack value but because many Masons are still operating in a false reality when it comes to money. I believe the Fraternity needs a significant wake up call, and that wake up call should start at the top. I'd start by doing something drastic at the Grand Lodge level. I mean no disrespect to the faithful Brothers and employees who operate Grand Lodge, but all organizations live in the shadow of their leadership. How much money goes to events and activities that don't prioritize making good men better? How much to we spend on Masonic bling? How much does Grand Lodge, and individual Brothers, spend on the annual communication; can we really justify asking a Brother to use his vacation time, put a couple hundred miles on the car, and pay for a hotel room to watch debates and votes about Masonic technicalities that don't make good men better? What does it cost to support our numerous committees and what do they deliver to the cause of making good men better? Certainly we need a central body to protect our ritual, maintain our tax exempt status, and manage our legal risks. Those essential administrative functions would probably cost a lot less than what we're currently spending.
Finally, I'd abolish the Life Member program and call it out for what it is ... a poorly designed otherwise good idea. As a brand new Mason I bought a life membership in my lodge because I was told that I'd never have to pay dues again. A few years later I got a detailed look at the lodge finances and realized that we were bleeding cash, in large part because about 90% of our members were Life Members. Around the same time the District Deputy stood up in a meeting to praise the Brothers who purchased Life Memberships since they had made "a lifetime commitment to the Lodge". But it was marketed to me as a way to dodge a lifetime commitment. Unwinding the program would send a message about financial realities to all Brothers.
I'm sure there's more, but my point is that we'll never get there if our discussion is limited to the merits of subscribing to individual forums and publications. The world has changed in many ways from the days when most Lodges were financially strong. For many Brothers it's much harder to pay their full fair share compared to the way it used to be; in the last few decades college education, healthcare, and retirement costs have all inflated at rates well in excess of wage gains. Broadly speaking, the entire Masonic business model requires an overhaul. Costs will have to be aligned with the ability of Brothers to pay, and justified by imparting value in exchange.
A massive amount of information in this post. Thank you as always for your time and shared knowledge you put forth in all of your posts. I understand and agree with much of what you have shared, with exception to the expense of putting out quality information concerning the Ancient Craft.
In no way do I think investing a small amount of money to a good cause that puts forth knowledge is a bad thing. Seeking Light is difficult for all of us who are what I like to call, "Hungry for Knowledge".
This is where I slightly disagree with the idea that money has to be spent on a monthly, quarterly or yearly area on the internet to share this knowledge.
The endless available outlets for websites are out there for all of us to use. My personal website that I use costs me 60.00 a year. I understand that this does cost money from the Brother who is providing this information because he has a website but it is only 60.00 a year and any Brother out there who enjoys sharing what they have to say concerning the Ancient Craft isn't doing it for the making of money. At least they shouldn't be in my opinion.
There are exceptions to my above comments. Emeth shared the Brother who travels to interview Men of the Craft. That does take money and is a very unique resource that I completely agree with the subscription based website.
When I speak to the topic of shared information on the internet, previous decades of periodicals and out of print books I must say that there is an endless amount of topics, data etc. that is relatable to today's Freemason.
In my Jurisdiction of Oregon there were very energetic Brothers from post WW 2 that created a magazine named "Oregon Freemason". Sure, the content was mostly Oregon specific but the quality of the shared light is amazing to read. These magazines are currently being scanned and provided for free from the volunteer hours put forth at the Grand Lodge of Oregon Library and Museum. I will assume that in other jurisdictions there were Brothers who did the same thing that was done in the Oregon Jurisdiction. There are other periodicals that were published on a subscription basis.
That was prior to the technology that we have today.
A quality magazine can be put together with a word program and using the outlets via the internet.
This is all an investment into all of our personal paths as Freemason's.
Seeking light and finding it should not cost money in my humble opinion. A small investment to help the annual subscription of a website I can understand but sharing this light of knowledge that some of us enjoy making available is a passion and doesn't need to be paid for.
We just need Brothers to volunteer their time and share their new found knowledge and thoughts on the Ancient Craft on a platform that is available at a very low cost or no cost at all.
I am a believer that a zero investment for the Light of Brothers should be out there. Knowledge should be free to the hungry Freemason.
Great topic. I enjoy the brain food. I look forward to more content.
My 2c.
I'm old school, in that I firmly believe that the internet should be free. The flow of information shouldn't be controlled or bartered. As brother Johnny mentioned, there are many ways of providing resources for free, or very little cost. Trestle boards can be created using a word processor (I can find the entire MS Office suite online for around $60 bucks) and emailed using a free mailing list like google groups. Web hosting that can provide discussion boards etc that doesn't require knowledge of HTML can be had for free (if you don't mind the advertising they add) or as Johnny said, around $60 dollars a year.
I certainly don't fault anyone requesting financial support for their endeavors but it seems like everyone is hopping on this subscription model. I'd go broke if I supported everyone that I would like to support. I don't belong to a bunch of lodges, only one, which I am a life member. I am also a life member of my motorcycle rights group ABATE, and my local VFW. The only group I am not a life member is the Scottish Rite, which I do plan on fixing eventually. I hate annual dues or subscriptions. So I do everything I can to eliminate them. The fact that GL levies annual assessments pisses me off to no end, and that is only $28 dollars a year.
Happy New Year Most Worshipful Sir! This is a great topic and one that deserves both structural and transactional attention.
Transactional: Should we be willing to pay for value? Sure. That's the easy part.
Structural: I think there are a few issues that deserve reckoning.
First, make sure that Masonic gatherings, both virtual and in-person, and publications are valuable. There have been many discussions in this forum about the absence of value in too many of our encounters. It's clear that we've become a little too comfortable with empty encounters. Personally, I joined this Fraternity because I was told that we help good men become better. To that end, it does me no good to partake in any encounter unless I leave with something to think about and to use as a potential path to personal growth. With that criteria in mind, think of the time and money we put into encounters that don't come close to fulfilling this criteria. (Rather than record a rant of my own, each of us can certainly come up with our own lists).
Second, matching cost to value will be difficult to solve on a piecemeal basis. Let's stipulate that the various publications and forums you've cited deserve financial support. Undertaking funding for these endeavors individually will likely be a long and difficult process, not because they lack value but because many Masons are still operating in a false reality when it comes to money. I believe the Fraternity needs a significant wake up call, and that wake up call should start at the top. I'd start by doing something drastic at the Grand Lodge level. I mean no disrespect to the faithful Brothers and employees who operate Grand Lodge, but all organizations live in the shadow of their leadership. How much money goes to events and activities that don't prioritize making good men better? How much to we spend on Masonic bling? How much does Grand Lodge, and individual Brothers, spend on the annual communication; can we really justify asking a Brother to use his vacation time, put a couple hundred miles on the car, and pay for a hotel room to watch debates and votes about Masonic technicalities that don't make good men better? What does it cost to support our numerous committees and what do they deliver to the cause of making good men better? Certainly we need a central body to protect our ritual, maintain our tax exempt status, and manage our legal risks. Those essential administrative functions would probably cost a lot less than what we're currently spending.
Finally, I'd abolish the Life Member program and call it out for what it is ... a poorly designed otherwise good idea. As a brand new Mason I bought a life membership in my lodge because I was told that I'd never have to pay dues again. A few years later I got a detailed look at the lodge finances and realized that we were bleeding cash, in large part because about 90% of our members were Life Members. Around the same time the District Deputy stood up in a meeting to praise the Brothers who purchased Life Memberships since they had made "a lifetime commitment to the Lodge". But it was marketed to me as a way to dodge a lifetime commitment. Unwinding the program would send a message about financial realities to all Brothers.
I'm sure there's more, but my point is that we'll never get there if our discussion is limited to the merits of subscribing to individual forums and publications. The world has changed in many ways from the days when most Lodges were financially strong. For many Brothers it's much harder to pay their full fair share compared to the way it used to be; in the last few decades college education, healthcare, and retirement costs have all inflated at rates well in excess of wage gains. Broadly speaking, the entire Masonic business model requires an overhaul. Costs will have to be aligned with the ability of Brothers to pay, and justified by imparting value in exchange.