A MASONIC SEASON OF DISCONTENT

A new masonic year is about to begin and with the resumption of  the activities the same old question will resurface : how many dreadful functions or Masonic degree ceremonies must we attend ,month after month, to feel that our Fraternity is still relevant and vital in our lives? How can we claim to be taking good men and making them better  in an environment where members don’t feel any different on the inside than they do on the outside?

There is also the question of mediocrity. Accepting it in our Lodge activities is like accepting mediocrity in our personal lives. When nothing instructional, clever, intellectual, or spiritual transpires in our private and holy settings,we become just another average, run-of-the-mill organization, no matter how glowingly a Secretary may describe his lodge‘s previous evening event. This is known as self-appreciation, it is a vain and  egotistical behavior that has nothing to do with love and brotherhood.

It is tough to see how this style of Masonry might improve. Are we going to be role models for young men, or are we just another group of ordinary guys? We must be conscious of our mission, of what we know, and how we practice it in order to be exemplary men in an exemplary institution.

Year after year, however, we fail to teach our Brethren about “Freemasonry and we continue to accept applicants who have objectives other than a desire to improve themselves and to grow spiritually. We encourage them to apply even if they are unsuitable so that we may get to perform a ceremony or two thanks to their stupidity.

Our ritual is learnt by mechanical or habitual repetition, but it is often misunderstood and badly performed. Candidates should be taught for several months and prove their worthiness before they receive the next degree,  instead we only send them on their way to memorize the answers for their next ceremony.

The Freemasonry of today also keeps accentuating  its charitable aspect. But charity is  more than simply giving money.  We hear the words “charity” and “financial donations” as if they are the only things we do.

The  three guiding principles of our Order are:

Brotherly love – Yet I have  seen Brothers display hostility to each other, level unfounded claims of racism and, at the Festive Board, heard senior officers offend with jokes and sarcasm.

Relief – Charity here is only part of the equation. What about service to each other,  to our widows and orphans ? What about devoting time to a disgruntled member whom the Lodge  is about to lose ?

Truth -You must answer this question in your heart.

The Festive Board is an after-the-ceremony celebration that helps keep the evening going, but for some Brethren it is the only reason they turn up. It is often an occasion to put oneself in the spotlight with jesting, reciting anecdotes, offering compliments to one another and making the same tired hollow statements like : thanking the host, praising the flawless ceremony, commending the frequently terrible dinner. This is generally a repetition exercise in which the person often resorts to telling lies about the evening as a whole.

Do we want this on a regular basis ? Certainly, guaranteeing that Masonic education actually occurs would be a great start toward improving it, especially when combined with a correct selection of capable and fit applicants.

I joined Freemasonry  in search of direction and the opportunity to develop as a better man. I have instead discovered an Old Boys’ Club in which members often lose touch with each other, act with prejudices, squabble, stay away from taking on responsibilities or only chase honorifics.

“Liberté, égalité, fraternité” is an expression known as a French revolutionary motto but it is also an initiatory formula that has Masonic foundations. Yet Freemasonry, in the last eighteen months, has shown no desire to safeguard these universal values from being encroached upon by a frenzied push toward world absolutism.

In conclusion, it is hard to see how the current Freemasonry might take good men and make them better.

Frater Nemo

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_{The Editor does not necessarily share the opinions stated in the articles that are chosen for publication but strongly believes that responsible, independent, honest, impartial journalism must be carried out and submit all views, even if conflicting.
The Truth is never only one !}