One of our Brothers found the following exchange on the Social Networking/Question and Answer website, Quora:
The question was asked:
“What are some disturbing truths about Freemasons?”
The answer was given:
“I know someone who was engaged to write a history of local Freemasonry in the town where he lived. He got to know them fairly well, and was even invited to join.
He declined. Since they were utterly, utterly boring people with way too much time on their hands, holding utterly, utterly boring and pointless meetings only in order to feel special. It was, he considered, a perfectly harmless way to compensate for being a totally useless twat, but nothing for anyone with brains, ambitions, or anything even remotely meaningful to do with their lives, such as playing video games or trainspotting.
That’s their secret. Useless twerps having a boy’s club in a tree house with meaningless rules.”
Those of us here know that the answer is badly incorrect (although there is a kernel of truth re: boring and pointless meetings in far too many cases) but it is certainly not an uncommon perspective that outsiders have of our Craft.
What are some strategies we can implement to change that perspective? How do we change that narrative, to use a term employed by one of our PGM’s?
Certainly we don’t want such perspectives to drive good men away from our Lodges, so it is I think, important to show a much different face of Freemasonry.
GM, your question this morning should be a call to arms for many of us. Have we become self-important? How many times do we need to read the minutes of our meetings. Is it worse to be thought of as “useless twerps” or not thought of at all because no one knows your lodge even exists. I don’t believe this has anything to do with the size of a lodge or how much money it has in its accounts. Each lodge is unique to its community and how it can help improve it. Certainly some lodges have the means to provide academic scholarships but not all. Some have successful Bikes 4 Books programs but not all. Some hide inside their lodges, not sharing their light. We need to go out into our community as a group. If we aren’t able, as Masons, to provide a service to our community then we should partner with another organization that does. Creating a positive perception of Freemasonry isn’t about spending money. It doesn’t have to be difficult, it just takes a little effort.
This has been something ive been combating for years. The need for brothers to be involved outside our building and represent the craft.
There are many times that we discuss a lodge facebook page and i always hear the comment the community knows who and where we are. When in fact they dont.
30 years ago the craft in Washington had twice the membership we currently hold and it was certainly more common to know a mason. We used to have a lot of civic and community leaders among our ranks. We held dinners, sponsored events, and had events in the newspaper.
Now the moment I mention an article or running an ad its somehow unmasonic and against all our teachings. Yet newspapers in the 50’s and 60’s had entire pages devoted to lodge events.
The point im getting at is that our brethren have become content to just meet and socialize woth the lodge. We only hold one meeting every month and outside of it some of us are active elsewhere or meet for a meal. Others added a meeting every month and hold public social events.
We need to break out of the mold and look to our forefathers. It has and will be an interesting organization but you must find ways to engage the brethren and our guests. Ellensburg has been fortunate with our “circle the wagons” where we go off session and have a discussion based upon the membership and even guests present. It has proven popular with all of our visitors.
I think the "self important" part is an interesting point. I know some brothers seem to live for the introductions. They love being trotted around the lodge to the east so they can receive those public grand honors. I didn't join the fraternity for honors, or titles, or awards, or being elevated above others.
As Bob also mentioned, hard to change a perception when the local community doesn't even know we exist.
I briefly dated a woman that was very inquisitive about the fraternity, when she found out I was a mason. But we broke up because she just couldn't get past the stuff she's read on the internet, or that there were secrets that I couldn't divulge. I tried explaining to her that the secrets weren't important, she could find out anything she wanted online. I just wasn't going to tell her, it was a matter of my integrity. But she just couldn't get past the fact that she couldn't know, being a woman.
So, there's little anyone can do to get past the wrong impressions of our fraternity simply because for far too long we as a fraternity didn't defend ourselves publicly until recently. There were several generations that took the whole secret society too far.
So, first you need to get the community aware that you exist. Wear the S&C to other organizations and events. Join the local chamber of commerce. March in Parades. Hold an open house. Don't have just old white guys doing the community work, get your younger members (if possible) involved.
You have no idea how many times I heard "Oh, I didn't know we had freemasons in town".
Then you need to address the culture of your lodge. Be open minded about the problems your lodge is facing. Boring meetings are probably the #1 issue with lodges today and I'm certain that is the main reason why we have a retention problem. I was raised a MM nine years ago. I looked at my group picture taken when I was initiated, over half the brothers in the picture are no longer in the lodge (myself included).
Finally, apathy is probably the most difficult part of the problem. Brothers like wearing the S&C, but that's as far as their support of the lodge goes. They might think just paying their dues every year (after the Secretary had to send them a NPD warning letter) is enough. I also ran across the attitude more than once that "I've done my share, let someone else do it now". I'm sorry, does your obligation have an expiration date?
I view constructive criticism as a potential for personal or group consciousness in a way that it need improvement (or try to). The emotion of anger and shortcomings should be invoked when criticized. Without it, you refuse to accept weak points and lose motivation for change. Of course, you can also look at this Quora response as someone who was not a part of masonry so how can he honestly say it’s “utterly boring.” That would be like a food critic who writes a negative review about a restaurant without even having tried a dish from them. The article is also written by a secondary source, indicating another level away from any experience or truth. The whole story falls apart, so it’s hard to understand his point. Perhaps the critic suffers from feeling outcaste or has a cognitive bias toward interpreting ambiguous information negatively.
There is always room for improvement, but I wouldn’t take it from a second hand person who didn’t have any idea (hearsay) what he was talking about. But as from someone who has been involved in Masonry for many years, I can say it can be boring of fulfilling. It all depends on the individual and the group. If one goes to lodge to understand its mysteries, expecting everything to be revealed to or for him, he will burn out quickly and find no excitement. But the one who investigates and reads from our history and manuscripts will stumble onto things better than anticipated. By giving effort you receive knowledge and discoveries that never seem to cease nor get anywhere near boring.
Perhaps in time, Masonry of Washington will implement a collegia, where courses are layout out, and certificates/degrees are awarded (associate, bachelor, masters, and doctorate degrees in Masonry) for one’s time and efforts like a college institution.
In the meantime, anyone looking for educational resources, I can recommend taking online courses with Bro. Shawn Eyer. Also I have compiled a long list of masonic manuscripts, going back to the 13th century up to the 20th century at https://verity59.org/resources.html
GM, your question this morning should be a call to arms for many of us. Have we become self-important? How many times do we need to read the minutes of our meetings. Is it worse to be thought of as “useless twerps” or not thought of at all because no one knows your lodge even exists. I don’t believe this has anything to do with the size of a lodge or how much money it has in its accounts. Each lodge is unique to its community and how it can help improve it. Certainly some lodges have the means to provide academic scholarships but not all. Some have successful Bikes 4 Books programs but not all. Some hide inside their lodges, not sharing their light. We need to go out into our community as a group. If we aren’t able, as Masons, to provide a service to our community then we should partner with another organization that does. Creating a positive perception of Freemasonry isn’t about spending money. It doesn’t have to be difficult, it just takes a little effort.
This has been something ive been combating for years. The need for brothers to be involved outside our building and represent the craft.
There are many times that we discuss a lodge facebook page and i always hear the comment the community knows who and where we are. When in fact they dont.
30 years ago the craft in Washington had twice the membership we currently hold and it was certainly more common to know a mason. We used to have a lot of civic and community leaders among our ranks. We held dinners, sponsored events, and had events in the newspaper.
Now the moment I mention an article or running an ad its somehow unmasonic and against all our teachings. Yet newspapers in the 50’s and 60’s had entire pages devoted to lodge events.
The point im getting at is that our brethren have become content to just meet and socialize woth the lodge. We only hold one meeting every month and outside of it some of us are active elsewhere or meet for a meal. Others added a meeting every month and hold public social events.
We need to break out of the mold and look to our forefathers. It has and will be an interesting organization but you must find ways to engage the brethren and our guests. Ellensburg has been fortunate with our “circle the wagons” where we go off session and have a discussion based upon the membership and even guests present. It has proven popular with all of our visitors.
I challenge other lodges to do the same.
I think the "self important" part is an interesting point. I know some brothers seem to live for the introductions. They love being trotted around the lodge to the east so they can receive those public grand honors. I didn't join the fraternity for honors, or titles, or awards, or being elevated above others.
As Bob also mentioned, hard to change a perception when the local community doesn't even know we exist.
I briefly dated a woman that was very inquisitive about the fraternity, when she found out I was a mason. But we broke up because she just couldn't get past the stuff she's read on the internet, or that there were secrets that I couldn't divulge. I tried explaining to her that the secrets weren't important, she could find out anything she wanted online. I just wasn't going to tell her, it was a matter of my integrity. But she just couldn't get past the fact that she couldn't know, being a woman.
So, there's little anyone can do to get past the wrong impressions of our fraternity simply because for far too long we as a fraternity didn't defend ourselves publicly until recently. There were several generations that took the whole secret society too far.
So, first you need to get the community aware that you exist. Wear the S&C to other organizations and events. Join the local chamber of commerce. March in Parades. Hold an open house. Don't have just old white guys doing the community work, get your younger members (if possible) involved.
You have no idea how many times I heard "Oh, I didn't know we had freemasons in town".
Then you need to address the culture of your lodge. Be open minded about the problems your lodge is facing. Boring meetings are probably the #1 issue with lodges today and I'm certain that is the main reason why we have a retention problem. I was raised a MM nine years ago. I looked at my group picture taken when I was initiated, over half the brothers in the picture are no longer in the lodge (myself included).
Finally, apathy is probably the most difficult part of the problem. Brothers like wearing the S&C, but that's as far as their support of the lodge goes. They might think just paying their dues every year (after the Secretary had to send them a NPD warning letter) is enough. I also ran across the attitude more than once that "I've done my share, let someone else do it now". I'm sorry, does your obligation have an expiration date?
I view constructive criticism as a potential for personal or group consciousness in a way that it need improvement (or try to). The emotion of anger and shortcomings should be invoked when criticized. Without it, you refuse to accept weak points and lose motivation for change. Of course, you can also look at this Quora response as someone who was not a part of masonry so how can he honestly say it’s “utterly boring.” That would be like a food critic who writes a negative review about a restaurant without even having tried a dish from them. The article is also written by a secondary source, indicating another level away from any experience or truth. The whole story falls apart, so it’s hard to understand his point. Perhaps the critic suffers from feeling outcaste or has a cognitive bias toward interpreting ambiguous information negatively.
There is always room for improvement, but I wouldn’t take it from a second hand person who didn’t have any idea (hearsay) what he was talking about. But as from someone who has been involved in Masonry for many years, I can say it can be boring of fulfilling. It all depends on the individual and the group. If one goes to lodge to understand its mysteries, expecting everything to be revealed to or for him, he will burn out quickly and find no excitement. But the one who investigates and reads from our history and manuscripts will stumble onto things better than anticipated. By giving effort you receive knowledge and discoveries that never seem to cease nor get anywhere near boring.
Perhaps in time, Masonry of Washington will implement a collegia, where courses are layout out, and certificates/degrees are awarded (associate, bachelor, masters, and doctorate degrees in Masonry) for one’s time and efforts like a college institution.
In the meantime, anyone looking for educational resources, I can recommend taking online courses with Bro. Shawn Eyer. Also I have compiled a long list of masonic manuscripts, going back to the 13th century up to the 20th century at https://verity59.org/resources.html