CONVERSATION-NUANCED

Did the world need masonry?   That conversation is lofty  perhaps for an organization as humble as masonry. The question deserves discussion-debate, threads of ideas of the contemplative mind. A glib answer does disservice, disdainful to the interlocutor, a stain on the fabric of the Order.  Why is it so complicated? There was no stark beginning. No doctrine. No politik. More a presence that gradually grew. The existence of masonry through centuries of change is testament to its relevance as a way of thinking that evolved into a theory of intellectual and characterological development that has been as agelessly satisfying as a glass of your best wine or as quenching as a sip of cool spring water.  For many, it became a lifestyle that we defined.  Masonry taught man to live and act according to values.  Masonry offered sanctuary for  men who risked derision if  discovered  wondering  about their 'inner being', conscience and purpose.  Where scripture had been cannon, doubting and questioning was heretical. Time was kind to the gatherings of masonry rinsing away the unessential. His challenge  of being became a worthwhile curiosity.   Masons were geeks with interests that didn't bring immediate gain but sufficient to bring forward mocking of their insight and understanding.  Who knew mathematics was art?   It gave him a forum to be bright and thoughtful.  Then it educated him and provided him a vocabulary and process for discussion.  When the conversation drifted on into the night, men experienced trust and inalienable truths came to the surface as it always does.   That became the difference between that part of us that we want to show the world, and  what we truly are:  men in pursuit of happiness.   MasonicFX