My brethren, it has been many weeks since I've been able to check in here, in my "real" blog so I wanted to at least share a quick thought and provide some brief updates on things that are keeping me busy.
I've spent much of my time recently focused on - coincidentallly - time. I've written about time in previous papers and blog posts, and I've invested a lot of effort on the subject throughout my "Noah's Quest" book series. After (roughly) three intense years studying, investing, sharing, and writing about time, there is one lesson I want to share again because it seems to be the most concise "summation" of the topic. That lesson is this:
"Time is the most precious and most valuable commodity we have. Money comes and goes over the course of a man's years, but once he spends time, it is gone forever and therefore should be invested wisely".
It's really that simple. Once we spend (invest) some amount of time, that's it, it's gone and there is nothing we can do to recover it and re-use it. You get one shot at every minute you spend doing whatever it is you choose so the question you might ask yourself is "what is the value of this time and will my investment return that value to me in some form"? One of our very first lessons as masons regards the twenty-four inch gage and it is worth revisiting.
When I ask "...will my investment return that value to me in some form"?, I'm not asking if you will be paid for that time (although salary in exchange for time is likely a wise and useful investment), I'm asking whether your investment will return some form of satisfaction, joy, or maybe personal peace.
I will admit that I spend some amount of time on social media each day and I am troubled by this fact in various ways. First, The time I spend mindlessly scrolling is never coming back to me and I admit that sometimes the only value I receive comes in the form of brief periods of pure escapism. On the other hand I manage various groups - masonic and non-masonic - and I share information that could be important to others and there is value and some satisfaction in that.
There is a seedier side to social media and its inherently strong allure for many and it's that issue which relates to my discussion of time; that is the issue of the "keyboard warrior". I'm sure we've all noticed that many social media soldiers thrive in the cover and concealment of the keyboard and engage in provocative and, in some cases, aggressive behavior they would almost certainly avoid in face-to-face engagements with others. We can speculate endlessly on what motivates them and what it is they get from jumping from one confrontation to another, but that is not my point here today.
My point and my anchor to the topic of our time is very specific. I spend some amount of my "mindless scrolling" time reading the various social media groups and pages and I've noticed an increase in provocative posts and remarks that seem intended to draw brothers into keyboard confrontations; some are abrupt and challenging, but others are openly confrontational and border on insulting. I will see such posts and read the discussion and comments to see if perhaps any useful or informative exchanges follow, but in many cases the answer is no. I've seen some threads that run a long as 100 or more comments and typically results in my own disappointment and even anger. This is my point.
For a thread to reach 100 or more posts means that two or more brothers invested quite a bit of their time in writing, reading, and responding to provocative and unproductive discussions that may have been started for the sheer thrill of provoking others. I know the provocateurs gain some amount of personal satisfaction in luring others into keyboard ambushes and there is nothing I can do that will influence them to stop; instead, I would ask everyone who spends their most precious commodity responding and arguing with faceless demagogues, why do you remain engaged with those who do not value your time? My brothers, the time you spend "feeding the beast" of social media arguments is gone; it's never coming back. I know how it starts because I feel it too - the thought that I have the answer or a perspective that will help the discussion in some way; but in many cases when we offer our reasonable response we are met with shifting arguments and moving goal posts. Once we see the battle lines forming, it is time to do our valuation - is it worth anymore of my valuable time to continue this engagement?
I recommend a test of some sort - imagine something you could do instead of jumping into the fray, something that would at least return a small amount of personal peace or joy. Personally, when I stumble across a brewing battle I now think to myself "you know, a root beer float would be nice" and I withdraw my investment from the keyboard and reinvest it in some A&W and Blue Bell (this in not a paid ad and I received no compensation for the references). Think about your time my brethren. It is yours and it is valuable! You get to choose how you spend it and once you do it is gone - invest it wisely! I may address the topic of masons engaging brothers in provocative and insulting arguments in a later post or paper - or I may not (it's a time thing).
This brings me to my second topic today - "Freemasonry in a Changing Culture". I published a paper on August 15, 2022 called "Freemasonry in a Changing Culture" (CLICK HERE) about how the craft is impacted by several dramatic changes rippling throughout society and I provided discussion on such things as the family, education, and the matters of "joining" and "finishing". One of my key takeaways from the paper was a belief that we need to focus on the elements and problems inside the craft that we can address directly and stop beating up on ourselves and trying to fix things that are actually external problems emanating from the chaos of our changing society. I am happy to share today that I plan to revisit and perhaps revise my original paper and my original conclusions. I am seeing positive changes - or at least indications of positive changes in various corners of the culture and I think it warrants a re-examination.
There appears to be a youth bracket (roughly mid-teens through mid-twenties) which craves a spiritual meaning or spiritual underpinning for their lives and that bracket is apparently growing. I've seen enough anecdotal evidence to convince me that it is worth the investment of my time (there's that topic again) to update my original paper, or to at least see if the data actually supports this notion of positive changes unfolding in society. So my plan is to work on that research as soon as my current writing project is finished and off to the publisher - which brings me to my next topic.
"Noah's Legacy" is nearing the end of the edit cycle. As I write this post, "Noah's Legacy" is out for what I call "Peer Review" or you might perhaps call an extended proof reading by a very small circle of brothers who are checking for everything from grammar, accuracy in my masonic representation, and story line flow. My goal is to have Peer Review finished by May 24th and then begin the draft edit to incorporate the feed back. If all goes well, I will have my edits completed by June 14th and be able to send "Noah's Legacy" off to the publisher (Perfect Ashlar Publishing) by June 17th. Fingers are crossed!
And finally, I have a "side project" that I've been plugging away at in whatever free time I can find. I've been considering the problem many lodges face regarding dues and their fear of increasing them. I am designing a program that lodges might consider as a way to soften the blow to members as they confront the reality that dues must eventually go up. The truth is that dues must cover a year's worth of regular bills and mandatory expenses, but many lodges are concerned about losing brothers if they increase their dues. I have been flirting with some ideas on how to address this concern while still taking the necessary action to increase income to cover required yearly spending. There will be more to follow on this....
Whew! It seems I had quite a bit on my mind and didn't even realize it until I started writing. But that's where we are, that's what's on my mind, and those are the big boulders I'm pushing up the hill. I thank you for this brief moment of your time and I hope you have found something useful in my rambling!
Travel with purpose my brethren and make your time count!
Sincerely and fraternally,
~BroBill
Comments