One of the enduring myths about Masonry is that Masons end up with all the plum jobs, are promoted quicker than everyone else, can speed and drink-drive with impunity etc ad nauseam.
This is very definitely a myth. Would that there were a lodge hotline to get out of the speeding ticket I acquired a couple of months ago (I was doing 38 on a dual carriage way in a non-residential area that had one very small 30 sign three miles back). It would come in handy.
As to promotion, I have actually found that being 'on the square' has probably held me back more than it has advanced me. As one of my (non-Masonic) friends said to me: "I'd get your money back from your Lodge if I were you. You haven't been promoted yet have you?"
He was joking, I think, but he had a point.
Joining the Masons is often seen as second only to reality TV as a quick and easy way to getting more than you would otherwise get and/or deserve through hard work and perseverence.
If you want to get on in life, work bloody hard and - more importantly - be seen to be working bloody hard. If you join the Masons you'll have to work doubly hard both at Masonry and at your job.
If, however, you want a challenge outside of everything you've ever experienced and want to make yourself into someone with a better memory, better public speaking skills, more confidence, more friends, a higher set of values and standards and a willingness to always put others ahead of you, then Freemasonry might be for you.
Don't get me wrong, I love being a Mason, I love memorising ritual and being able to deliver it without a single tut or prompt. Heaven for me would be one of the crusty old PMs with LGR saying that it was "Alright and nearly as good as when my mate Smudger Smith did the tools in 1954." - we know that they care really!
I think that's all from me. Toodle pip.
S&F
NF
P.S. If I'm rambling a little, I do apologise - I've just got in from a meeting and much port was consumed!
1 comment:
There are those who have some kind of obsession that they must believe there's something secretly going on around them that they're not part of. They can easily make Freemasonry a part of their warped logic—it has secrets, ergo it's secretly conspiring their back. They start with that fallacy and add snippets of ceremonies here and lists of famous Masons there and maybe a lie or two they read on internet kook sites. Suddenly they've created a whole fantasy world where Masons are under every rock and tree controlling everyone's lives.
And the weak minded believe it.
The fact is one puts their own job in jeopardy if they don't hire qualified individuals. Hiring someone solely on a school, church or fraternal basis therefore makes no sense.
Justa Mason
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