Philipstown DGGM visit                                                         March 19, 2009

The Very foundation of Masonry

Our District is very unique.  The First and Second Westchester-Putnam Districts are sectioned along an east/west axis that roughly follows the old Putnam Valley Railroad line. 

Because of this lengthwise division, we are a District that developed along two lines:  Southern, more suburban, Lodges whose Brethren were largely commuters to what most of us still refer to as “The City”, and Northern Lodges that were more rural and comprised of Brethren who lived and worked locally.

While there have been some Lodges which have changed their demographic, Philipstown Lodge has always been a rural community Lodge.   I am very proud of the fact that the first dispensation I granted as District Deputy Grand Master was to Philipstown Lodge so that they could wear Masonic regalia at a public ceremony honoring a veteran Brother at his grave site.  They made this request because the community wanted them to be there.  What a great honor.

But this is not a bond that was forged overnight.  It is the product of a long tradition of community leaders joining this Lodge and the community recognizing the Lodge’s importance to it.  It is no coincidence that the Lodge’s leaders, have always been leaders of the community.  Brothers that showed an interest were carefully nurtured and encouraged to develop that interest into an ability to steward and lead their community into even better achievement.  This dynamic is one that is well-represented in most rural Lodges throughout our Grand Lodge.  What about the majority of our Lodges who do not have the benefit of being so well intertwined with their local communities?  How do we better raise leadership in our Lodges?

It is no accident that leadership in a Lodge follows a natural progression.  What we learn from our first place in the Northeast is added to with each step that we take in our Masonic journeys.  If we should become so honored to merit election to serve in the East, we are hopefully in good possession of the accumulated knowledge and humility earned over many years of serving in apprenticeship.

In a perfect world, we will have the opportunity to stop and serve in every place and station along the way.  Ideally, more than a few of those opportunities will be for a two year term.  Now I know what some of you are saying.  The needs of my Lodge preclude me from stopping in every chair, and they certainly preclude me the luxury of my honing my skills for more than a year.  My Brothers, I recognize that all of our situations are imperfect.  Some of those imperfections may necessitate our response earlier than is ideal.

All I ask is that you consider this ideal and try to work towards it.  It is not an all-or-nothing proposition.  Surely all of us could smooth out a few more of our rough edges with the benefit of a little more time in the quarry.  And remember, it has a residual effect.  Every other Brother in your line will also benefit from the additional time to better sharpen their skills.  It also endows you with the time to better train the Brother who shall serve in your capacity next.

Is it a large commitment to ask of a Brother if we consider an occasional two year term?  I think that the question can only be answered with another question: What do you expect your legacy to be in your Lodge and in the Craft?

Every honor or benefit in life is earned with hard, determined and persistent application of time and effort.  As grown men, we know this to be true.  Sadly, we also see far too many examples of what happens at the other end of the spectrum.  Unfortunately, we live in a society where empty short-term commitments are regularly claimed as yielding the long-term goals that we crave.  “Lose twenty pounds a week”, “Learn a language in a weekend.”, “Become a millionaire in your spare time.”  Really?   Yet time and time again, these spurious come-ons attract yet another wave of soon-to-be disappointed zealots.

To be sure, no one can ensure that his every goal will be realized.  However, what we can ensure is that our output will directly reflect our input.  Just like in Elementary School, you do get credit for showing work.  Masonry has only promised its membership the satisfaction of doing valuable work; and what is more valuable than building the foundation of your Lodge?  When it comes to building this foundation, do you even want to consider “cutting corners”?

This commitment also applies to our ritual work.  While most of the ritual work that we practice is imperfect, it is filled with the apparent effort of attaining perfection.  I often like to relate how I tell my children I want to see A+ work from their studies, but I am not disappointed by B pluses and the occasional B.  What would happen if my expectation was just a passing grade or C work?  I don’t imagine that I would see many As and Bs anymore.  Unfortunately, it is human nature to want to do the least amount of work to yield the most output.  And while that desire has led to some of the greatest inventions of time, ranging from basic pulley systems to the fastest math coprocessors in our laptops, it does not apply to Masonry.

I understand that there are barriers to making these commitments.  Like most barriers, at their very roots lies fear.  We fear that asking too much of a brother may cause him to leave the quarries.  We fear that we may lose a future leader if we tell him that if he sat at the Junior Deacon’s place next year, he might be honored to serve in the East…8 years later.  My Brothers, it is time to dismiss these fears of failure.  Benjamin Disraeli once said that “Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure”.

Masonry is explicitly about work and improvement carried on over the rest of our lives.  It is also about truth.  If a Brother is more concerned with timelines than the process, then he may not be best suited to leadership in our Fraternity.  Perhaps there is another place in the Lodge, say on the committee level, where that Brother, and his Lodge, might find more harmony.

My Brothers, our District is already filled with stories of Brethren that have made these commitments, and of Lodges that have made some of these hard choices.  Each one of them is a story of positive growth and a better future.  Asking more of ourselves does not lead to our collapse, but rather to stronger and more glorious structures.  This evening, let us renew our personal commitments to continue this trend of always growing, always striving, and always improving.  We are builders of men, and we are proud to be so called.

Worshipful Master, I thank you for the courtesies extended to myself, and the Brethren in attendance this evening.  I also wish to thank you and the Brethren of Philipstown Lodge #236 for continuing your long-standing tradition of raising leaders in your community as you raise leaders of your Lodge.  May all of us in attendance this evening remember this important lesson and practice it in our own communities and especially, in our own Lodges.  Thank you.