I’ve been a Mason for 20 years, Past Master, 32°, Scottish Rite & York Rite. I don’t have any juicy secrets (like “33° Masons control the price of Ovaltine”), and I’m of the view that we’re / they’re mostly harmless. That said, I’m disillusioned. The Brotherhood is broken and not fulfilling what they promise to their craftsmen, which is to make good men better. It’s become one big LARP that sucks free time and money from its members and gives nothing back to the Brothers, their families, communities, or the world.
They broke their oath, I’ll break mine. Ask me anything. Or nothing.
Do you remember your high school graduation? Do you remember your 300th day of highschool? Do you remember the day you became a father? Do you remember your 1000th day of fatherhood?
Rites of passage are intrinsic to humans and our conceptions of life, it seems to me. They are some kind of foundation for how we perceive and comprehend the universe. Your first rite of “passage” (stepping through a threshold) happened the day you were born.
Sounds similar to the tiered structure of a pyramid scheme. A milestone is created and it is all important that you meet the criteria to pass it. When you finally do that the cycle starts over indefinitely. I guess this could give meaning to people who can't seem to find any in their own lives. Just seems like needless busy work.
Have you seen the development of apps recently? They’re seeking to “gamify” every aspect of life. Go for a walk with your Health Insurance Co. App running to save $0.15 on your bill this month, “level up” your houses insulation via homedepot to get a $10 coupon on bug burgers, that kind of shit. You ain’t wrong, basically