October 2017 DDGM Article for The Word

My Brothers,

Fall is here and the various animals are busily preparing for winter. As Masons, this should also be a season of preparation for us. Before we know it, the next Grand Lodge session will be upon us and now is the time to prepare.

During the past year, I have heard many voices express dissatisfaction with the direction our Fraternity is heading. I’ve heard talk of dimits and I’ve heard some say that they’re ready to simply walk away and wait for the NPD to happen. My Brothers if you fall into one of these groups, then I urge you to reconsider.   Meaningful and lasting change is almost never effected from outside of an organization. In other words, if it’s going to be changed, it’s going to be changed from within.

Grand Lodge is your Grand Lodge. Now is the time to educate yourselves on the issues facing the Fraternity. Now is the time to tell the Master how the Brothers of his Lodge want him to vote. If your Master won’t be attending, then now is the time to select who from your Lodge will be.

Last year, a scant 3 of our 8 Lodges were represented in Grand Lodge. That’s ok, right? After all, it was an “off year”, right? Wrong. Last year showed us, perhaps better than any other year in recent memory, that every year counts. Last year, quite literally, the entire direction of the Fraternity was changed. Most of our Lodges weren’t even there to cast a vote. If we can’t be bothered to participate in determining our own future, then we shouldn’t be surprised when things don’t go the way we want them to.

Scott