It was so simple, I actually laughed at myself when I thought of it, because I felt stupid for not having thought of it sooner. Think about it for a moment. What are Masons? What have Masons always been? It’s simple. Masons are builders.
– From Wor. Jacob Gershbock’s Installation speech.
Each year, the incoming Worshipful Master selects a theme to describe their goals for the coming Masonic year. This year’s theme is:
Building Community
The word “Mason” automatically conjures up in the minds of those unfamiliar with our Fraternity builders and workers of stone. As Freemasons, we are no different in essence, but rather than physical stones, we treat ourselves as the individual stones, with our communities, society, and the world at large as the buildings on which we labor. Our Lodge, therefore, is the cornerstone of this effort – the solid foundation upon which we build. In order for our greater efforts to result in a solid, enduring edifice, the cornerstone therefore must be solid and capable of bearing the weight placed upon it.
The way we best ensure that this is the case is to strengthen our Lodge by fostering a sense of community within it. These times are full of unique challenges, largely resulting from the strange and unprecedented affects of technology on society. Social Media in particular has wrought a pervasive, widespread, and seemingly counter-intuitive sense of loneliness that is entirely unprecedented in recorded history. People are for the first time in history able to speak almost instantly with people across the world, reaching more individuals faster than ever before, and for all of that, they consistently report feeling more alone than ever. However, the more we study this phenomenon, the more it becomes clear that Social Media is no replacement for genuine human connection, and that online echo chambers cannot compare to the value of actual community to the human psyche.
The Lodge is a place where people can come to get some of that missing feeling of human community and connection, and I am not just referring here to the Brethren of the Lodge. Partners, spouses, friends, and family are welcome and encouraged to join us in building and fostering connections and community. Our monthly Stated Meeting dinners are open to all, and we plan on having more programs during the coming year to make the Open portions of the meetings more engaging and worthwhile. Likewise, we hope to increase regular attendance by the Ladies and Sweethearts of the Lodge to events and Stated Meetings, resuming special programming and ensuring that the environment is conducive to meeting. Building renovations and improvements like new carpeting have already begun, we have a great caterer for our meetings, and several Ladies’ events are being planned even now which will be advertised over the course of the year.
More than this, though, we need to be engaging with our Youth Orders and Women’s groups. DeMolay, Job’s Daughters, and Rainbow Girls all need our help, and we should be doing everything we can to assist them in bringing applicants to their doors. Frankly, it’s a win-win situation when kids join; not only do they benefit from great programming, a place where they can get a real sense of in-person community of their peers that is safe and nurturing while also fun and engaging, but a growing body of research is beginning to show that membership and engagement in this kind of organization for teens results in greater resiliency throughout the rest of their lives. As an added bonus, it also looks GREAT on college applications, and also makes them eligible for several scholarships through Grand Lodge and the various Youth Orders themselves. So to recap, on the one hand, we have a place for kids to get friends, fun, psychological resiliency, college application bonus points, and scholarship money eligibility, and on the other hand, they can stay at home, locked to a phone screen, worrying about whether or not their latest Instagram or Tiktok post got enough likes. It doesn’t take an advanced degree to see which is the clear and obvious choice here.
The one thing about community is that it isn’t something that you just build and then you’re done. Rather, it is something that takes constant upkeep, maintenance, and work to keep healthy and strong. It’s not a file-and-forget kind of project; it’s the work of Lifetimes. It need not be all-consuming, and it doesn’t always even take much effort. What it does require is showing up. So come to Lodge, and bring your friends and your family. Come to our meetings, our events, and our social gatherings. Talk about Masonry and our Youth Orders with others, and be proud! What we’re doing here is something that is not only important and praiseworthy, it’s something that the world sorely needs, even if it doesn’t always realize it. We have the solution within our walls to so much of the division and polarization outside. We teach people that it is possible to disagree and still be civil, to differ and still be friends, to find harmony instead of hatred, and that it is better when we build each other up, rather than when we tear down and destroy those with whom we disagree. So come help us build community. Together, we can make a real difference.