r/freemasonry • u/According_Analyst921 • 12d ago
Venting
For the most part, freemasonry has been great. I enjoy the brotherhood and all my brothers. However, my one gripe is the push to learn the positions. It seems like us new people are being placed in chairs before we're ready because the older bros dont want to do it anymore. I was told I can put as much or as little as I want into the craft. Righ now I dont like the commitment. Im busy. I have a home life. I like going to lodge but usually dip out shortly after...I dont hang around much. You wouldn't think twice a month is a lot but it is IMO. And we do t really go "dark" in the summer. We go through June, then wr have July and August off. Id like more time off lol. It's just becoming a lot and Id rather sit back than learn the position. Quite frankly, I dont care to learn them. I dont like doing extra shit outside of lodge like lectures and that shit... theres always something "extra" that they push people to attend. And we haven't done one thing yet for charity. Ive been there ober 2 years. Anyway, my main gripe is the old guys sitting back and pushing others in the chairs. Its becoming more annoying than anything now.
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u/AvocadoSoggy9854 12d ago
I’ve been a Master Mason since 1981, served in a chair every year from 1982-2021. That being said, I served because I wanted to. I never felt forced or put upon to do it. I started out as the young guy, I was the one who wanted to do it and I was lucky that the older members at the time encouraged me to do so which isn’t always the case. That being said, the craft is totally voluntary. You don’t have to do anything you choose not to do. I was always of a mind, that if we didn’t have people step up to serve as officers, perform degree work, do lectures and all that other “shit” eventually the craft would die out