by Midnight Freemasons Contributors
S. K. Robert Johnson
&
Todd E. Creason, 33°
Robert Johnson: What does
my generation (The Millennials) get out of the Fraternity? That is a question
posed to me not long ago by Bro. Todd E. Creason. When I thought about it, I
really didn't know how to answer the question.
Todd E. Creason: Well I
asked you the question because I see these young men join, and I wonder
why? Does your generation join for the
same reasons mine does? Are we looking
for the same answers? Do we have the
same expectations in the beginning? Is
it the same thing my father's, my grandfather's and my great-grandfather's
generation was looking for?
Robert Johnson: I thought
"Don't we all get the same thing out of Masonry? Don't we become better
men? Don't we simply get out of it what we put into it?" The answer later
came to me as I sat at work thinking about the question. No, we do not all get
the same thing out of Masonry. For me and my generation, and I cannot speak for
all, but I think when a Millennial hears the word Fraternity, we immediately
think about the movie "Revenge of The Nerds". We think about Lewis,
Booger, Ogre and maybe the Fraternity of Lambda Lambda Lambda.
Todd E. Creason: I'd have
to admit that when I first considered petitioning the Lodge, I didn't think of
Freemasonry as a Fraternity in the way I understood the term. I thought of it as more as a society in
possession of ancient knowledge and wisdom, and rich in tradition and
ritual. As a lifelong student of
history, I'd studied a lot of men I knew were Freemasons, and I wondered if the
success they'd had wasn't something that they'd learned from Freemasonry. My goals in the beginning were purely
selfish. I wanted to become a better
man, and learn what the Freemasons had to teach me so that I could benefit from
it personally. I was all too willing to
put what I needed to into to it, so long as I got out of it what I wanted.
Robert Johnson: When we
think about Freemasons, I don't necessarily think we think about Fraternity. We
think about the movie "National Treasure", Magic, Mystery and perhaps
some of our more grounded Millennial members think about friendship and
charity. It might not be until we were fully joined and made Master Masons that
we indeed realized we were part of a real Fraternity. I think I echo your
sentiments on joining for a personal gain. I too was looking for knowledge to make
me understand the world, it’s people and why we are all here. The
nature of these wants, was also a selfish one.
Todd E. Creason: I wrote
a piece some time back with Midnight Freemason Michael Shirley, and in that
piece, we both admit that seeing the movie "National Treasure" played
a part in both our decisions to petition.
But the reality was very different.
When I was raised a Master Mason, nobody handed me the key to the
library, or an ancient scroll with all the answers on it. I'm not positive of course, but I'm pretty
sure nobody I've met in the Fraternity in the years since knows the location of
the Templar Treasure, the Holy Grail, or the Ark of the Covenant. What I found is that I suddenly knew a lot of
fine men, dedicated to becoming better men regardless of their age, and filled
with the certainty that they possessed the ability, and the responsibility of
making themselves better men by living a virtuous life, and working to make the
world a better place to live. And all of
those men were suddenly my Brothers, and before too long at all, my friends,
too.
Robert Johnson: Just what a fraternity is, is abundantly clear to those of us who were members of Fraternities in College. So the question remains, what does a Millennial get
out of the fraternity? I can only speak for myself and I think I am a good
litmus test for the question, but what I get is a feeling of belonging, a pick
me up every week, I get something to do that I know, makes a difference.
Todd E. Creason: I
couldn't agree more with that statement.
For the first time in my life, I had an opportunity to contribute to
something that really means something. I
found a home in my Lodge--it was somewhere I truly felt like I belonged, and
that's pretty unusual for a strange man like me. I soon forgot about the selfish reasons I'd
originally petitioned. I was finding
ways I could use the abilities I had to contribute to the goals of my
Lodge. I was able to finally practice
and polish skills I had but never had a chance to use in my job--like
writing. And I quickly learned I had
abilities I didn't even know I possessed, and within the comfortable
environment of my Lodge I wasn't afraid to practice and develop those new skills
with the assistance of my Brothers. I
learned to give ritual in a large Scottish Rite Cathedral and speak about
Freemasonry to a group of Masonic researchers.
The idea of public speaking in any form prior to my joining the Lodge
would break me out in a cold sweat, but I soon learned the benefits of getting
over that fear was well worth the price of nervous butterflies, and a few damp
shirts.
Robert Johnson: It is
said that people who have a meeting (non-work related) once a month or more
frequent, are happier people. In fact one study that was conducted broke it
down as follows; When we get a new thing ( a car, a bike, a game, a gadget) we
are happy about it for about a week. When we get a raise at work, we are happy
about it for about three to four days, but when compared to the happiness we
feel when we have a fellowship meeting or a book club meeting, they all pail in
comparison. The happiness we receive from being part of a group lasts months
and years. This was based on one meeting a month. This is certainly the case
for me as well. I really do become energized from having spent time with truly
remarkable men.
Todd E. Creason: And
there is great truth in that. Some years
ago, my Lodge had a member that was going through some very tumultuous times in
his personal life. We were all worried
about him, because we all knew he was on an emotional roller coaster at the
time. But every month, without fail, he
showed up at our meeting, took his chair, and by the end of the meeting would
be a very different man than the downtrodden man that had walked in--back to
his old self again. When he got through
his personal crisis, he stood up at one our meetings and thanked the
lodge. He said that no matter how low he
felt, he never missed a meeting, because no matter what his state of mind was
when he walked in, when he left, he felt better. And he thanked a few individual members for
calling him, or dropping in to see him--he knew what they were doing. I remember how the members looked around at
each other when he said that--that hadn't been something we'd discussed, it was
just something the members of the Lodge took upon themselves to do. That's what Freemasons do--we're Brothers,
we're family, and we look out for each other.
Robert Johnson: I meet
every week. I eat, drink and live this Fraternity. I am rich indeed. Rich in
happiness. And what about the other side? There is of course the Millennial who
joins and is basically forced to bring his lodge back from the dead? Burn out.
So again, What does a Millennial get out of the Fraternity? Well, I think I
would rather ask, "What does the Fraternity get out of the
Millennials?" We are a generation of men who are really needy. We need it
now, we grew up on Nike's slogan, "Just Do It". So that is what we
do.
Todd E. Creason: I don't
think there's any wrong answer. I think
if you asked a hundred Freemasons why they joined, and what they get out of it,
you'd get a hundred different answers. A
few minutes after I was raised a Master Mason, my safe conductor, Brother Sean
McBride, gave me a piece of advice. I
was sitting in the Lodge, trying to take in all I'd experienced and he sat down
next to me and told me, "You'll get out of Freemasonry what you put into
it." It was excellent advice, and
it's proven to be true, except I've found I can never put back in what I've
taken out. Later I got another piece of
advice from a Mason I met when I joined the Scottish Rite. William J. Hussey's advice was a little
different. His advice was,
"Freemasonry will be what you make of it." He was correct as well. Every Mason's path is different, and what
they contribute is different, and what they get out of it is different. For some it's the fellowship, for others it's
the esoteric knowledge, for others it's the ritual, and for Masons like me it's
the history and tradition. But I believe
all Masons can agree on one thing. There
is nothing else quite like it.
Robert Johnson: I think that is just it. There is nothing else
like it. The great treasure of Freemasonry everyone always talks about has the
potential to be 7.5 billion different things because this Fraternity is
different to everyone. For me, my treasure was exactly what I needed in life.
And as my needs grew, Freemasonry fulfilled those needs. Freemasonry’s
treasure hoards grew and grew within my mind because the things I needed,
morally, philosophically and even materially were met by the Fraternity. It is
rather strange, but I do consider myself the richest man in the world and I’d
expect most Masons feel the same way when they think about all the things this
Fraternity has done. Freemasonry is the greatest organization in the world.
RJ/TEC
Photo Credit: The first photo in this piece is of Brothers Dave Norton and Chris Duggan of Amicable Lodge A. F. & A.M. in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Todd E. Creason, 33° is
the founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog and continues to be a
regular contributor. He is the author of several books and novels,
including the Famous American Freemasons
series. He is member of Homer Lodge No. 199, and a Past Master of
Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL). He is a member the Scottish Rite Valley of
Danville, the York Rite Bodies of Champaign/Urbana (IL), the Ansar
Shrine (IL), Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees,
and Charter President of the Illini High Twelve in Champaign-Urbana
(IL). You can contact him at: webmaster@toddcreason.org
Bro. Robert Johnson, 32° is
the editor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Freemason out of
the First North-East District of Illinois. He belongs to Waukegan Lodge
No. 78. He is also a member of the York Rite bodies Royal Arch, Cryptic
Council and Knights Templar, The Illinois Lodge of Research and a member
of the Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago as well as a charter member of
the Society of King Solomon, a charity organization run by the Grand
Lodge of Illinois. Brother Johnson currently produces and hosts a
weekly Podcast (internet radio program) Whence Came You?
which focuses on topics relating to Freemasonry. In addition, he
produces video shorts focusing on driving interest in the Fraternity and
writes original Masonic papers from time to time. He is a husband and
father of three. He works full time in the safety industry and is also a
photographer on the side as well as an avid home brewer. He is also
working on a book of Masonic essays. You can contact him at:
wcypodcast@gmail.com
