I joined in 1982. There was no internet at that time, and the books I found were old, and the information was outdated. I joined with little knowledge, of what the fraternity was all about. Freemasonry (and this includes the appendant bodies) has proven to be much more than I ever imagined. I have met incredible men, from all walks of life. I have sat in lodge with men who risked being sent to concentration camps (I visited a German-speaking lodge in Paris France). I have sat in lodge with men, who kept the fraternity alive, during the communist rule in Russia( I visited a lodge in Moscow Russia). I have met Masons on mountaintops in Afghanistan, and in the oil patch in Saudi Arabia. I have transported children to the Shriner's hospitals, and seen "up close and personal" the miracles that are performed in the Shrine Hospitals.
I have learned to better myself, and to improve my society and nation. I have had great laughs and entertainment. There are times, when I have wept tears of joy.
I cannot imagine my life, without Freemasonry.