I walked out feeling I had a new responsibility to live up to the ideals communicated. A lot of the ideas were already my own, but for instance recreational marijuana use was something I occasionally did, in my new character as a Freemason, it's something I stopped. In the South that night, I learned about "pocket, heart & hand" which was a new way of expressing how we help each other as humans, reinforcing the lessons learned in the lodge room. I was given a framework (for expressing) within the lodge how to treat others and play a role in society. All this greatly appealed, I'd come to Freemasonry volunteering for an organisation where my proposer was another volunteer, so it's not like a got spark to go and do good (I was already doing a lot of that and it's what brought me to Freemasonry) but I did leave with an inspiration to be a better man and a vehicle to express "masonic values', if that makes sense.
Right at the end of our ceremony, the last "values" overtly communicated are "....
I am led to hope that you will duly appreciate the value of Freemasonry and imprint indelibly imprint on your heart the sacred dictates of
TRUTH,
of HONOUR,
and of
VIRTUE".
I guess the above was one of several main ideas I latched onto and still to this day try to live up to. But we all know Freemasonry is more subtle and deeper than just the above quote..
I felt I had joined a meritorious organization full of meritorious men and needed to live up to both those things. That aspiration changed me for the better and still does today.
I think describing a Good Freemason as a man who tries to grow, believes in self improvement while trying to support and improve those around him using pocket heart and hand while daily striving to live to the values of Truth, Honour, and Virtue combined with the 4 cardinal and 3 theological virtues is a good way to describe a Freemason..
In essence, I guess I just left the lodge feeling transformed with tools to express and tweak my values and goals.
The four way test in Rotary
- Is it the truth?
- Is it fair to all concerned?
- Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
- Will it be beneficial to all concerned
imparts some of this, but I guess one of the ways Freemasonry is different is because it is ritualized and also includes and obligation while overtly acknowledging the existence (and in my view, presence) of the GAOTU and respected peers....
I don't know Coach, I am not sure I can really put it into words with 5 minutes of thought and writing a post, nothing will do it justice. The best way to see it is to know me; which is how it should be with all Freemasons.
I score myself 6.5/10 on the above attempt LOL