EMERGENCE

It seems to make sense that equipping a man with a sense of reason would then require the advantage of philosophical discourse. So a very long time ago freemasonry gradually came into focus as a means of organizing thinkers and doers in an experiment.  Expose enough men to enlightened conversation and they will be transformed, able to make a meaning contribution to the world around as well as having a balanced sense of self. While the form of masonry we know today is entirely derivative, bringing intelligent men together, in simple conversation became a timeless function.  Unfortunately the scholars weren't so portable, those who supported and encouraged questioning, leaving us with a challenge of our time. Can scholarship be injected into a system of masonry that has not been exposed? Somewhere in our background we made a mistake. Freemasonry doesn't make a man anything but what he is. But Freemasonry as a field of study, can influence outcome without pretention.  One size fits all is a way to sum up why many lodges in my jurisdiction find themselves wallowing while elsewhere, lodges perform with exquisite movement.  Eventually, without design, a small group of men began examining and comparing outcomes. Then they began deconstructing, travelling up the Nile to its source. Of course the map was accurate; our reading of it was flawed because we lost our moral compass.  If you think ideas make a man, then give us your proof. What makes you succeptible to teachings? How do we know you are capable of instruction and change?  Unlike your suppositions, Freemasonry is articulate and evolving thanks in large measure to timeless lessons in comparative thought.  There will always be lodges consumed with volume of turnover. There will always be lodges, a cut above that puts men in the company of listeners, observers that refine thinking.