FREEMASONRY: A CLASSIC- Why Classical Endures

Freemasonry is often misunderstood and for good reason. It has plot; dark and affirming. It has pulse, a rhythm of free will as ancient as time forgotten. Conspiracy theorists pick up on a history complete loose of fact that the Order has been a serious threat  to G-d, Crown and Nation. We can forgiven for many a faux pas with one exception.  We are a classic.

The basis of classicism is the evolution of societies into civilizations. Marilyn Hutchinson captured the idea beautifully: Classicism, she said, therefore, can be understood as defining and long-lasting civilizational patterns shaped by belief systems. Belief systems including both philosophies and religions. If nothing else, freemasonry is a belief system and in that sense, endures because it is a classic.

Previously, music and theatrics had been bench marks of the Order. Antiquarians go to the depths to tell us our expectations are high; our realities cannot match. We tell ourselves the disappointment of this. Always, we are left with the suggestion that freemasonry is of a time "before" . Always it bests the effort of today. For too long we have measured our 'success' in volumes as if depth of bearing could be measured.  When did we stop striving to carry forward the legacy of a classic performance? Our currency is the exchange of ideas; contemplation.  I wonder that this remarkable belief system has been covered with layers of plaster. Today? Cracks have been appearing. Curious builders doing repairs are discovering mosaics that tell a story. The classics? Well they can't be silenced can they?  They speak of enduring passions; a lingering note of life. We could listen.