Of Local Interest

Just When You Need It

No sooner had I done a bit of venting about my frustration with the state of online Masonic discourse than Widow's Son introduced a new guest editorial series on the topic of Masonic Harmony, reminding me that you always have to be vigilant against confirmation bias... just because some of the loudest voices also happen to be some of the most disharmonious, it doesn't necessarily follow that they are representative of all of the Brethren going quietly about their business online.

These guest editorials are some of the best Masonic writing I've read online in recent memory, and if I may make a gross generalization the gentle reminder from my Brothers is:

Illegitimi non carborundum.

Please don't feed the trolls, and certainly don't let them distract you from your own Work.

Thank you, Brothers.

Yep, Quiet Around Here

Over the last month or so I've started and abandoned 4 or 5 posts explaining why I haven't been posting... not the usual "Gosh I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted" blog fodder, but a look at the current online Masonic climate and my reaction to it.

I have kept putting it off because I have been quite busy with activities both Masonic and profane and also, frankly, I don't need to explain myself to anyone... but as the gap between my online and meatspace Masonic experiences widens, one thing becomes increasingly clear:

I am not feeling the Brotherly Love online.

With some exceptions, I find a lot of online Masonic dialog increasingly divisive, if not downright toxic. The thoughtful back and forth exchanges I seem to recall finding in mid-2007 when I first got interested in Masonry have given way to polarized modern-vs-antient, old-vs-young, fish-fry-vs-festive-board, Grand-Lodge-vs-GOUSA, them-or-us bickering. I've slowly been unsubscribing from a lot of Masonic RSS feeds over the last few months, because I really don't care to be associated with it, even by such a passive act as reading it.

My wife made an observation the other day about people who seem to decide they know everything there is to know (or, at least know everything worth knowing) by the time they reach age 30. She said she can't imagine what it's like to be that confident in one's own world knowledge, and then said something that is certainly true for me too:

"The more I learn, the more I realize there is left to learn!"

I don't have any agenda other than to improve myself in Masonry, and right now I am not finding a lot of opportunities to do that online (private exchanges with Brothers notwithstanding.)

I know the tone of this post is somewhat harsh, and for that I apologize... but chalk it up to the frustration I've been bottling up for longer than I probably should have. I'll be around, but these days I am focusing most of my Masonic energy on rebuilding my Lodge.

I Know What I Want for Christmas

If you follow the link, MAAC also shows a Scottish Rite double eagle with Boston Bruins colors that I also find especially appealing. Apparently they have quite a selection of jersey blanks and symbols to choose from. I'm also picturing a nice red and white, Royal Arch triple tau on a blank Redwings jersey.

Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with MAAC and haven't done business with them, I'm just a great big geek of a hockey fan and Freemason.