Hello all,
I've learned about Freemasonry in perhaps the wrong order, and though I believe I've more-or-less sorted myself out, I have two specific questions that are preventing me from approaching a lodge, and am hoping I can receive some clarification here.
I suppose I first learned about Freemasonry as a child, when it was a symbol on the bumper of some friends' parents' cars. I never asked nor thought much of it as I was preoccupied with the activity I was there to do (e.g., Boy Scouts), and just accepted that it was another on a long list of organizations that people sometimes join. One friend's father was also a Shriner, and I vaguely recall him standing up at the end of meetings to occasionally announce other events - e.g., a 5k next weekend to benefit this-or-that Childrens' Hospital.
I read that Dan Brown book in my 20's and, mostly ignorant of history, again gave it little consideration - the plot may as well have involved secret Boy Scout conspiracies - interesting, perhaps, but I took it for what it was (a popular fiction novel), and hardly bothered to Google aside from some notes on the architectural layout of Washington, DC. I'd already heard some of that trivia, which WAS interesting to me, and likely spent more time on L'Enfant's Wikipedia page than anything else.
I noticed then that my ambulance partner was wearing a masonic ring, and tried to ask him some questions, but got mostly jokes and mysterious responses. "If I tell you, I'll have to kill you. Nah, just kidding. It's just a thing to do - fire department on Mondays, global domination on Tuesdays, PTA on Thursdays - you know how it goes. We help The Children and go to the strip club twice a year." - he'd seen me reading Dan Brown, and was mostly messing around - not at all out-of-character for the guy.
In my 30's now, I've had much more time to read on history and philosophy, and have kind of come full circle. I spent my extra pandemic time catching up on dusty old books, which I now understand to be virtually impossible without something, something, Templars, something, something, Freemasons.
I write all of this to say that I've known a few masons, and they've been great people, but didn't really put two and two together to ask anything, especially intelligent questions. They've been in other organizations I'm been in, and as I've recently been looking for something to do, some kind of organization to join, or some kind of regular something, Freemasonry has ended up on my list. Also, I love the adjacent historical and philosophical literature, and would like to meet more like-minded people.
That said, it's still unclear to me what kind of commitment I'd be signing up for in practical terms. I noticed most lodges meet on a regular basis, like a weeknight, and their public calendars often indicate other special events not uncommon for clubs - The Annual Awards Dinner, The Special Guest Speaker Night, etc. In most organizations I've joined, The Real Commitment extends beyond the weekly meeting - both in the abstract "it's a 24/7/365 commitment" sense, and in the "off-duty hours" sense - weekend events, homework assignments, minimum volunteer hours, fundraising expectations, and so on.
Therefore, mytwo four questions are:
1. What would I be committing to, if only in terms of how often the wife is left with the kids and/or annual expenses aside from dues?
2. Any advice on getting involved given that I just moved and A) don't know anyone here; B) am 11 months short of the residency requirement?
3. Should I chance upon a Mason in the wild, do you have any suggestions on how to approach the subject without seeming like a Brownian nut or like I'm trying to pry a big secret out of them?
4. Apropos of nothing in particular - any good book recommendations?
Thanks!
I've learned about Freemasonry in perhaps the wrong order, and though I believe I've more-or-less sorted myself out, I have two specific questions that are preventing me from approaching a lodge, and am hoping I can receive some clarification here.
I suppose I first learned about Freemasonry as a child, when it was a symbol on the bumper of some friends' parents' cars. I never asked nor thought much of it as I was preoccupied with the activity I was there to do (e.g., Boy Scouts), and just accepted that it was another on a long list of organizations that people sometimes join. One friend's father was also a Shriner, and I vaguely recall him standing up at the end of meetings to occasionally announce other events - e.g., a 5k next weekend to benefit this-or-that Childrens' Hospital.
I read that Dan Brown book in my 20's and, mostly ignorant of history, again gave it little consideration - the plot may as well have involved secret Boy Scout conspiracies - interesting, perhaps, but I took it for what it was (a popular fiction novel), and hardly bothered to Google aside from some notes on the architectural layout of Washington, DC. I'd already heard some of that trivia, which WAS interesting to me, and likely spent more time on L'Enfant's Wikipedia page than anything else.
I noticed then that my ambulance partner was wearing a masonic ring, and tried to ask him some questions, but got mostly jokes and mysterious responses. "If I tell you, I'll have to kill you. Nah, just kidding. It's just a thing to do - fire department on Mondays, global domination on Tuesdays, PTA on Thursdays - you know how it goes. We help The Children and go to the strip club twice a year." - he'd seen me reading Dan Brown, and was mostly messing around - not at all out-of-character for the guy.
In my 30's now, I've had much more time to read on history and philosophy, and have kind of come full circle. I spent my extra pandemic time catching up on dusty old books, which I now understand to be virtually impossible without something, something, Templars, something, something, Freemasons.
I write all of this to say that I've known a few masons, and they've been great people, but didn't really put two and two together to ask anything, especially intelligent questions. They've been in other organizations I'm been in, and as I've recently been looking for something to do, some kind of organization to join, or some kind of regular something, Freemasonry has ended up on my list. Also, I love the adjacent historical and philosophical literature, and would like to meet more like-minded people.
That said, it's still unclear to me what kind of commitment I'd be signing up for in practical terms. I noticed most lodges meet on a regular basis, like a weeknight, and their public calendars often indicate other special events not uncommon for clubs - The Annual Awards Dinner, The Special Guest Speaker Night, etc. In most organizations I've joined, The Real Commitment extends beyond the weekly meeting - both in the abstract "it's a 24/7/365 commitment" sense, and in the "off-duty hours" sense - weekend events, homework assignments, minimum volunteer hours, fundraising expectations, and so on.
Therefore, my
1. What would I be committing to, if only in terms of how often the wife is left with the kids and/or annual expenses aside from dues?
2. Any advice on getting involved given that I just moved and A) don't know anyone here; B) am 11 months short of the residency requirement?
3. Should I chance upon a Mason in the wild, do you have any suggestions on how to approach the subject without seeming like a Brownian nut or like I'm trying to pry a big secret out of them?
4. Apropos of nothing in particular - any good book recommendations?
Thanks!