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.
Sorry for being so sour on the Craft. Once you’re in you’ll hear tales of “grumpy past masters.” I’m one. I got burnt out trying to inspire a bunch of men to get off their asses and practice what they preach, rather than just show up for a meeting. I do think the younger guys (I’m in my early 50s for what it’s worth) do seem to have their heads on straight.
I wish you best of luck despite my tantrums. Drop me a private message after your degree if you think of it.
I do see what you're saying in my local lodge. lots of issues. nobody wanting to step up and take initiative. A bunch of "union factory worker" types who seem to be in freemasonry just to get away from their wives and larp being in charge of others lol.
Idk, maybe im wrong, but thats been my impressions. I'm super into self improvement, and using ritual as a tool to help hack the mind and manifest positive experiences. These guys are asking me how to market to the younger generation, like with Facebook ads or something, instead of trying to figure out how to get the 100+ non active members to start getting excited about coming back again.
My EA degree is in a month or so, once theyre finishing practicing, so ill have a better understanding of everything once I can actually go to the meetings
I’m really sorry to be salty. You’ve got the right attitude. Don’t let me tarnish your view of the craft.
I think my problem boils down to nostalgia. When I joined it was great. There was steady activity at the lodge, a lot of charitable work with the community, real strong Brotherhood, families getting together. It was really communal.
Then most of the Brothers I was close to coincidentally moved within a few years (mostly due to the state economy). At the same time we had several years of bad Masters who ran activities into the ground. Everything kinda went downhill, and I burnt out trying to get the lodge back to that level of energy when I was Master. It was especially maddening to see it get worse after.
Our lodge is probably a pretty rare case. Masonry is very much just like a family - sometimes they’re slightly less than functional. One thing I do know, it won’t take long for my dysfunctional Masonic family to pull itself together and become a thriving lodge again. After your degree you’ll understand why something like that is possible.
I wish you best of luck in your journey towards the East.