A Brother Asks... Worse Things about Being a Freemason

A Brother Asks: What in your opinion is the 'worst' thing about being a Freemason?

My Response*: YOU ASKED FOR IT SO BRACE YOURSELF!

My Top Ten List...

#1) Officious Brothers who tell you how it should be done, that you are wrong or what they expect of you, even though they were never asked.

#2) Business Meetings that provide nothing more than Meeting Minutes, Announcements and Treasurer's Reports.

#3) Ruffians who hold Offices and make decisions that detrimentally affect the harmony and welfare of the Craft, and those who put them there!

#4) Cowans that have no interest in Bettering themselves or participating in masonic education other than that which is required to keep the show running smoothly and who don't support you in Bettering yourself, other than those things that specifically serve the Lodge. (I define Cowans as Freemasons who don't square their work and who don't apply Cement to the Work they do. They are not Pretenders, but then again, some members might be.)

#5) Empty Promises, Useless Explanations, Unreasonable Demands and Well-Intentioned Guilt Trips unnecessarily delivered to those who are already supportive and who are held captive to those driven to give these speeches.

#6) Lodge Business Plans that get scrapped and redone every time a new line of officers is installed.

#7) Grand Masters (and other officers) who use their office to inflict their own brand of religion and politics upon the Craft and in ways that do damage to the image of the Craft overall and the Craft as a whole, the Lodge officers who elect them and Grand Lodge Communications that accomplish nothing of significance for the Craft as a whole, other than steadfastly holding on to attitudes, traditions and rules that make the Craft look bigoted, backward and ignorant.

#8) Dealing with Brothers who should have never made it through the West gate and those who let them through.

#9) Members who are so constitutionally incapable of recognizing and understanding the differences between Masonry and Freemasonry that they criticize, condemn and attack you because you do!

and the biggie!...

#10) Never knowing what's going to be served for Lodge dinner until you get to the actual dining room when it's being served or, when the dinner menu was actually foretold, it changed last minute because someone dropped the ball.

With all that being shared, I STILL LOVE Freemasonry!

F&S,

Brother John S. Nagy

* This has to do with things that I have seen overall and is not an indictment of any one specific Grand Lodge, its officers or any of its members.  It is only put forth to serve as examples to respond to your question with significance.