Another Grand Lodge session is in the books. This years Grand Lodge session was an interesting one at least. Full of lively discussion...oftentimes to a fault....really how much does one really need to kick a dead-horse.
As usual the Grand Lodge/Masonic politics was alive and well and demonstrated in grand fashion.
I must say it was refreshing to not hear a proposal regarding life membership and the elimination thereof. Typically there is amendment addressing this, I've seen the same thing worded a dozen different ways.
One thing which has bothered me for some time is that we tend to dwell in the past on many issues. The number one issue is membership and the lack thereof. It's quite disturbing to hear from the leadership over and over again that the proverbial glass is half full.
Just once it would be so refreshing to hear from the leadership that we are making strides. That the best days for the fraternity are ahead of us and that the glass is half full. Like most things in life I feel the fraternity's membership is cyclical, full of ups and downs.
I truly believe that we are approaching the corner and ready to make that turn and move in a positive direction. This slate of Grand Lodge Officers may be the ones to realize that we are growing despite what the numbers show. One has to remember that the great generations of yesterday are growing older and are nearing the end of their toilsome journey. Yes, we are losing at a very strong rate....but remember those brothers are from the heyday of membership growth. The brothers we are gaining are younger, want to be more involved, and want to learn the lessons from an esoteric aspect.
Quality vs. quantity is the new norm....again, my opinion. Thus the merits of the 6-step program shines clear.
Although the political machine is alive and well, I feel that this slate of Grand Lodge Officers offers a multitude of talents and leadership. The problem with the machine is one never knows which direction it's moving, at what speed, and what the anticipated outcome is.
This year's session was in sharp contrast to last year's session in that a more than adequate amount of time was given to the candidates who were able to field questions from the Grand Lodge Officers and also the delegates.
Of course the questions seemed to change from softball to hardball with one candidate, who did very well and prevailed, even overcoming a direct attack from the floor.....which I've been told is strictly forbidden in parliamentary procedures.....but Masonic decorum is a strange mix of Robert's Rules and parliamentary procedure....so if it's accepted by the chair then it continues...still doesn't make it right.
This year's election proved the theory that if one truly wants to get elected to the Grand Lodge line the best chance at success is to be nominated from the floor. This is a sad commentary on the delegates who are charged with voting the will of the lodges. One can campaign vigorously all year, usually to no avail. It seems as though if one is nominated from the floor his chances are vastly better than one who has traveled many miles and campaigned very diligently. This theory has proved itself quite clearly in both last year's and this year's Grand Lodge sessions. It seems that the one who is freshest in the minds of the delegates stands the greatest chance of being elected.
One of the Past Grand Masters asked the candidates, "Why they didn't declare their intentions to seek office earlier in the year, why be nominated from the floor?" I think that I have already described that above, it may not be what the powers that be want to hear...but it is richly steeped in reality. Another thought is that when one campaigns for a year, that action allows the machine the opportunity to squash that candidate before or during the election process....in other words being nominated from the floor catches the machine off guard and it's too large of a machine to react effectively in a short amount of time.
So to quote a modern day cliche, with all that being said......it looks as though the craft is gearing up for an insurgence of new quality brothers, thanks to the programs in place and the Grand Lodge insisting upon the 6 Steps to Initiation. For a while we were trying to take in quantities as opposed to quality. What good does it do anyone to bring men into the fraternity before they have any idea of what we do and who we are. While the number of lodges have been reduced as well as the overall number of members, I feel that we are on the climb upward. Hopefully the climb is sure and steady and that as we increase in qualified brothers, the work we do can be magnified. Magnification in optics can be obtained by the use of lesser quality lens...but the clarity is sacrificed.....however, when good quality materials are used and expertly polished by master craftsmen, magnification occurs along with outstanding clarity to those who are observing.
