Busy, Busy, Busy

I find that I am really quite preoccupied with Freemasonry these last couple of days. I feel drawn and skeptical in equal measures, and the tension between those two viewpoints is probably why I find myself taking too-frequent work breaks to Google this, that, and the other topic related to the Masons.

On the one hand, I still have this lingering notion that the Masons, Elks, Odd Fellows, Jaycees, Kiwanis, Lions, et cetera are all just granfalloons. To paraphrase Kurt Vonnegut, "proud and meaningless associations of human beings." (See also: bokononism.)

On the other hand, the core values the Masons espouse seem to be rather more genuine and profound than the ones that bring most college frats together... so maybe they are a true karass after all.

Interestingly enough, just today my wife found out that one of the few neighbors with whom we're acquainted is a Mason. I think perhaps she asked him if he belonged to the any of the common fraternal groups.

He pays his dues, but he's not very active with the lodge. He's a good man and, as someone who maintains membership without being heavily involved, seems like a relatively objective person to talk to.

Busy, busy, busy is what a Bokononist whispers "whenever [he] thinks about how complicated and unpredictable the machinery of life really is."