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aedifico42| Public Service from Private Sources

Posted at: 11:14 pm

In his post below (see “…NOT a Corporation.”) Emeraldi hits on an important theme that deserves deeper exploration.

Emeraldi writes, “Depends on who you ask, but if you want to put yourself out there DO NOT do it in the name of Freemasonry or your lodge, do it in the name of your community and do it because your community needs it, not because your lodge does.”

Now, I would have said it slightly differently, but the spirit is the same. By promoting ourselves, we are selling ourselves. This should offend our basic views of the Craft. Does the little catch-phrase, “We do not recruit…” have a qualifier that states “…directly.”? I have seen and heard too many lawyers (trust me on this one) qualify some pretty solid statements…just so they can weasel their way past the commitment they may have made.

Here are some of the things you have probably heard at your Lodge; “We have to ‘get out’ into the community.” “Nobody will know who we are unless they know we’re here.” “The public doesn’t even recognize us anymore.” “How are we going to get new members if nobody knows we exist?” …and so on and so forth.

The problem with every single one of these statements is this…they all base themselves on the single premise that we need more members.

Our fraternity, and each member in it, should not care what the outside world thinks. We should do good because it is right, not because it is popular. Our basic motivation for public service should come out of our love for the people in our world…those brothers and sisters in our sphere who share our communities, or stories, our places…our lives. Neighbors, clergy, police, teachers, clerks…and even assistant managers at Walgreens…they each deserve our best.

We know they do because we are Masons. But when we ask for recognition in return, we betray the spirit of our Craft. When we are motivated to ‘get out’ in the community with our baseball caps and lettermen jackets…we are no better than any politician or snake-oil salesman…selling, selling, selling.

Masons should serve the public. We should show-up in force at the local Heart-Fund Ball, the annual Police Fish-Fry, the County Book Fair. We should volunteer and be important men in our community. We should live-up to the promises that we make…and we should do it with the quiet resolve and dignity worthy of our Craft.

Unlike my friend Emeraldi, I like the phrase “Making good men better.” However, we should not be shoving it into the public eye in an indirect effort to recruit new members.

“Well then Mr. Smarty-Pants…” (I can hear them saying) “What are we supposed to do when our numbers are suffering and the old guys just can’t support the Lodge? Should we just close our doors?!?”

Yup.

Harsh, I know. But when men do not fulfill their mission for generations, and when those men allow our Lodges to diminish in internal luster to the point of near extinction…their legacy is a closed Lodge. Plain and simple.

Many Lodges are flourishing today. They are not those who are raising half a dozen men at an altar made out of a pic-nic table. The flourishing Lodges are taking each one of their candidates very seriously, and they are investing time and energy into each man. Teaching him, listening to him, becoming real friends to that new brother. Flourishing Lodges are taking a one-man-at-a-time approach to the craft. Great Lodges are RETAINING members at high rates.

The two concepts work well together. Increase the quality of the men in the Lodge…and their friends and neighbors will want to be around them. Once they become close enough to that brother (who, by the way, is the greatest neighbor on the block) THEY will ask HIM…”So, Bob, what is it that you do every Wednesday night…you’re not at home…where is it that you go?”

Character is the best recruiter. Character has been defined as, ‘what you do when nobody is looking.’ Insofar as that is concerned…the anonymity facet of this definition should apply to our membership in the Craft. What do Masons do when nobody is looking? They feed the homeless (on Thanksgiving…standing shoulder to shoulder with others), they visit Veterans and shut-ins (while accompanied by a friend from church or temple), they help build a home (on a hot weekend, standing next to the police chief and a second grade teacher)…and they are just men when they do it…not Masons (at least to the public eye).

Advocating for secrecy is not sinister. Advocating for privacy is not evil. Advocating for righteous motivations - that’s Masonic.

When we act like better men, we become better men. When we do it for recognition, then we are not better…we’re average. Pandering for public recognition is…well…pandering! MY Craft does not compete with football. MY Craft does not compete with YouTube (although, it is a nice distraction - don’t tell my boss). MY Craft is unaware of any impact that other organizations have upon it.

WE are the masters of our own destiny. WE decide what is worthwhile. OUR Craft deserves to be elevated to the high rank that it once held in society…but it will never be so while we stoop to compete with “The Simpsons.”

So go ahead and take-out your ad in the local paper. Go ahead and wear your caps and your jackets. Cheapen the square and compass by floating it down the street in some vulgar display of pride. Do what we have been doing for years with so much success! ‘Get out’ into the community!

It has worked so well for years…right?

Or…you can just be better men all the time. And when other men finally decide that your reputation is worth emulating…they will knock at your door.

And when you let them in…the work has just begun.

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