So my lodge just celebrated their 90th which makes me very happy, but after this past meeting where there was nothing beyond a business meeting and a meal I’m finding it hard to find the value here, I’m only a few months in (8-9 meetings) I love the guys in my lodge but really is this what I’m gonna get out of freemasonry?
Cleaning dishes, more lodge business meetings and the occasional education tid bit..
at times I think I’m better just buying books and educating myself, sure I’d attend lodge but skip the south as I’m just not getting value there.
I’m very frustrated, my brothers are great guys and are full of Masonic knowledge, what am I missing here...
Am I expecting too much?
I just added when I was initiated and such to my profile because I looked to see when you were initiated. I'm pretty sure, as your posts suggests, its not long ago.
I think its really important to give Freemasonry a chance, but one of the best things you can do is ask questions. Ironically, Lodge is not always the best place to do that, many of my best masonic discussions have been had at 2 am after beer.
We actually had this exact same conversation at my mother lodge in relation to the question you ask. We talked about professional mentoring, resume help, study groups, presenting papers, supper clubs, baby sitting etc.... One thing we do which is extremely valuable is go away for a weekend. That's when we often have our 2 am conversations - but it also gets the ladies along, and their support after seeing us as a relaxed social group. Fortunately, we do it as a lodge, but there are several groups here who go on "road trips" - I've been on several which have seen me rise at 4 am for a lodge breakfast 300 kms away. The most valuable time is that in the car, all talking, we don;t take girls on the road trip because its about attending a lodge meeting.
Most of the hard core researchers I know, including esoteric ones, do indeed buy and read a lot of books (that said, there is some great content on the web). An interesting discussion is always, is Freemasonry a Team a Solo Pursuit. Its both, but often the solo work you do adds much more to the team than the team work adds to the solo development.
Access to diverse men of varied experience is so important. Not just socially, and developmentally, but also emotionally. They listen and keep your "secrets" in ways other friends dont, they tend to have a different approach to hardship . Friday, I will be at a Brother's Grandmothers funeral, he might have the odd school friend there, but the men attending in force who are not family members will be Brothers.
When a FC, I kinda had the exact same thought you are having - what am I getting out of this ? Mainly because of the relationship with my proposer, I stuck with it, and after making some friends, realized how good it was going to be for me.
After 9 months, you've probably not been in Lodge long enough to even appreciate what you will get out of Freemasonry.
After 14 years I can tell you, in no particular order, I've
- Improved my speaking skills (and I was an auctioneer when I joined, so did not start from a low base)
- Made some of the best friends with some of the best men (and women) I've ever met.
- Feel part of a community steeped in the connection of Brotherhood and not just proximity or frequency.
- Got better at commanding people (again, I had staff working under me when I joined, but when Master, I had a different sort of authority than that I had at work)
- Developed my memory.
- Developed my mentoring ability and take great pride seeing men I've mentored in Leadership Positions.
- Via charity, made a real difference via donations (again, I'm involved in an organization which has given $3.5 million away, what we did in Freemasonry was different).
- Developed my editorial and writing skills,
- Developed my managerial skills.
- Developed my sense of the divine.
- And generally had a good time. Its not always been easy, but its always been worth it.
Stick with it Bro, but also look outside your lodge for further inspiration.