Post by antoninus9 on Jun 8, 2007 17:56:17 GMT
The Shrine is unique among American Masonic organizations. From the perspective of the average Mason it is the playground; a place where alcohol is permitted and fun is the name of the game, but the Shrine is much more than it appears. It is the primary source of Masonic philanthropy and, even more importantly, the best source of experienced business leadership in the fraternity. The Shrine is a multi-million dollar corporation with the means and know-how to change the present state of American Freemasonry, but the question remains open as to whether or not it is willing to use it for that purpose, and if the Grand Lodges are open to such intervention.
Many of the Grand Lodges are cash rich and management poor. They have money but don’t know how to make it work for them or the fraternity. It is apparent that the present system is devoid of good leadership and lacks any clear vision for the future of the Craft. This situation affects not only the lodges but the appendant and concordant bodies as well, which rely on the lodges to produce new members. Since Freemasonry is democratic in nature it is impossible to simply appoint the right men for the job, and in most cases internal politics makes it unrealistic. The Shrine, on the other hand, has central management that can effect changes throughout its system of temples, and could guide the fraternity into the twenty-first century. The Scottish Rite also has the potential to do this, but it is divided into two jurisdictions that are not always willing to work together. It also suffers from an archaic aristocratic form of government that is not compatible with American ideology.
I believe that all of American Freemasonry has suffered from the poor advice of marketing firms who do not fully comprehend the nature of the Masonic fraternity, and books such as “Bowling Alone” which fails to understand and correctly interpret the social dynamics of modern society. This, compounded with poor leadership and a lack of corporate management experience, can be identified as the primary causes of the present state of decline that we are experiencing.
If we are to solve the problems that we face as an organization then we must clearly understand them and their source. Let’s begin with the generation gap.
The Generation Gap
About 70% of American Masons are 70+ years of age. The remaining 30% are divided between Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. Since the Baby Boomers failed to join in significant numbers there isn’t much of a natural social buffer existing between the senior Masons and Generations X & Y. The sociological differences between the senior Masons and Generations X & Y are extreme, and the impact that this has on the fraternity cannot be overstated. Generations X & Y are the product of a society that was torn apart at the seams by the sexual and social revolutions of the 1960’s. A large percentage of these men come from single parent homes and they have never known a secure work environment. The high divorce rates and corporate downsizing and mergers have had a major impact on their world-view. Further, the majority of senior Masons grew up in world dominated by small towns and communities. During this time period most families never moved from their hometown. Generations X & Y are unfamiliar with small towns and static communities. On average their parents moved to a new city or town approximately every six years.
Human beings are a social-tribal species that thrives in organized settlements. Whether it is the tribal nomads of the eastern deserts, the villages across Africa, the first English settlement at Plymouth, or New York City, the evidence is simply overwhelming that humans are social creatures that form “tribes” and sometimes tribes within tribes. Failure to understand this fundamental aspect of human nature can have catastrophic results on corporations, fraternities and other institutions.
By understanding the differences between senior Masons and Generations X & Y it becomes easier to understand the social dynamics presently taking place within the fraternity and the many problems associated with it. Generations X & Y have an unmet psychological and sociological need for a community (tribe). Harley Davidson Motor Company has a clear understanding of this and utilizes it to further grow their motorcycle business. Many of the bracelet-like tattoos that you see young men and women wearing are tribal. It is a way of showing that they belong to a group or community (not to be confused with gang membership). These communities are unlike the small towns of the past in that they exist as virtual social entities that can span continents and even cross oceans. They are not a part of a sub-culture or the domain of the poorer classes and exist across class distinctions. They can be found at the junior and senior executive levels of major American corporations.
The senior Masons are mostly retired from professional and blue-collar careers and have a need for a club that provides them with social activities. Generations X & Y are either at the beginning or middle of their careers and have both a sociological and psychological need to belong to a community. The differences between the needs of the senior Masons and those of Generations X & Y are extreme, and in many ways not compatible. This is the source of the problems Freemasonry is experiencing with its newest members. Young men are coming to Freemasonry in search of a tribal community and discovering a retirees social club. The majority of young men never make it past the Entered Apprentice degree for this reason. The present belief that they were offended by parts of the ritual is erroneous. They were offended by the nature of the organization; it claimed to be one thing but in reality was another.
Organizations such as Freemasonry, once started, do not continue to exist in a vacuum. They can and will evolve based on external forces. They cannot be controlled with absolute precision from any single source, but instead are controlled by naturally occurring negative feedback loops within society. Proof of this can be seen in the newly evolving E-Masonry (Electronic Masonry over the Internet) movement. Since Generations X & Y could not find the community they were seeking in the Lodges they have evolved and formed new communities online which meet their psychological and sociological needs. If this trend continues lodges, Grand Lodges, and other presently existing bodies will die off in the future and be replaced by virtual online entities. This should be a cause for alarm in both the Shrine and Grand Lodges.
Freemasonry as a Religion
It is politically incorrect to refer to Freemasonry as a religion within the present system, but to deny what is taking place within E-Masonry is to avoid accepting the facts of the evolutionary forces at work. The younger generation of Masons come from a broad spectrum of religious backgrounds: Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, Pantheist, Gnostic, Wicca, etc. In terms of Generations X & Y organized religions should be viewed as tribal in nature, because they are seeking a community identity within them. If their chosen faith fails to provide the tribal community atmosphere and identity they are seeking they will look outside of it, and many come to Freemasonry. If they identify with Masonry then it becomes a form of adopted religion to them that is intermixed with their faith. This is clearly evident in E-Masonry where discussions of the esoteric and occult can be found on almost every Masonic Internet forum and e-list.
Atheists are joining the fraternity as well, and simply circumventing the belief in a deity by choosing to view all the energy that composes the cosmos as representative of an ordered power. They are not seeking a new religion but a community of enlightened free-thinkers such as Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. This group identifies closely with the Age of Enlightenment and the Scientific Revolution that was born out of the Royal Society and the Hanoverian lodges in London in 1717.
Thus, Freemasonry is a far more serious affair to Generations X & Y than it is to the vast majority of senior Masons. To illustrate this point there is a growing movement of Traditional Observance (TO) Lodges throughout the United States. These lodges are composed of mostly Generation X & Y Masons who dress in tailcoats and white gloves and take the ritual very seriously. Freemasonry to them is more than a social club; it is a sacred and revealing psychological experience.
If we are to remain relevant and viable in the future we must begin by accepting the fact that the future is being created outside the present management structure (Grand Lodge), and attempt to find ways to allow it to join with the present system. This is the key to perpetuating the existing Masonic organizations, and should be the focus of the Shrine executive committees.
A new perspective on Masonic Lodges
The new Masonic lodge will be the center of a community of Masons. The present cookie-cutter system where all lodges do the same thing will either be replaced by a system allowing far more diversity, or it will cease to exist as a viable entity. Community oriented lodges will reflect the nature of their members, and service their needs in the same way E-Masonry does at this time.
Some lodges have already adopted the community model and are growing and thriving, but this isn’t possible on a large scale at the present time due to senior Masons controlling the majority of lodge buildings. In the cases where it is happening the lodge building is controlled by Generation X & Y Masons.
Community lodges are very different from what we have today. They are open 365 days a year and every member has a key. They have a workout room and a club room with HDTV, video games, bar, music system, pool table. They have wireless Internet access so that members can come in and work from the lodge, or just relax while reading Masonic e-lists and forums. The lodge is more serious in nature and the rituals are performed in an almost sacred atmosphere. The west gate is well-guarded because membership in the tribe/community is only open to those who fit-in with the local tribe/community. This is why Masonry will become far more diverse than it is today. Lodges will focus on the needs of their members while at the global level they will view all Masons as brothers of the greater global tribe/community.
There are examples of tribal/community building outside of Freemasonry, and a working knowledge of them can assist in understanding how to resolve the issues we face today. Many of the younger Masons are also involved in the martial arts, and they meet together with other practitioners in Dojos. Dojos are similar to lodges in many ways and are an excellent example of the tribal/community phenomenon. What should be of especial interest to the executive management of Freemasonry is the price young men are willing to pay to be a member of a Dojo. The average Dojo in Atlanta, Georgia charges $100 per month for membership. That’s $1200 per annum per member. These organizations have a good understanding of the tribal/community and are actively taking advantage of it. Freemasonry, however, has an even greater potential for community building because of its emphasis on brotherhood. As an adult fraternity we are uniquely qualified to become the ultimate tribe/community, if we understand how to utilize this sociological phenomenon to serve our interests as an organization.
How do we move forward into the future?
We must begin by facing some facts that will be painful to some senior Masons. The Grand Lodges need to become more like service bureaus providing administrative functions in support of the lodge network. They need to become servants of the lodges and provide a basic structure for the organization. The Shrine could even replace them altogether and become the center of the global tribe/community network of lodges. In many ways the Shrine already has the infrastructure in place to do this today. If the Shrine replaced the Grand Lodges it would provide for a much flatter and more cost effective management structure. This, however, cannot happen without building a new system within the old and utilizing its resources. This should begin in metropolitan areas such as New York, Atlanta, Chicago, etc.
The Shrine is dependant on the lodges for membership. If this continues to be the case then it behooves the Shrine to take an active role in the success of various lodges. If the Shrine could convince several metropolitan lodges to share their building with new lodges, which would be specifically designed to meet the needs of Generations X &Y, and get the Grand Lodge to issue Charters to them, then E-Masonry could begin to take root at the local level. The Shrine could also fund renovations of these buildings turning them into the community centers they need to be. The upfront cost would not be all that high while the potential future reward would be great indeed. The members of these lodges would view the Shrine as the visionary organization that has the leadership necessary to build and sustain Freemasonry in America.
This could begin on a very small scale in just one city as a proof of concept. Once the system is working and fine-tuned it will become a working model for the rest of the country and easily replicated.
Conclusion
American Freemasonry is at a critical juncture in its business life-cycle. Understanding the needs of its present and future members is essential to the survival of the present system. In this short paper I have attempted to provide you with a basic understanding of the needs of these men, and what it will take to move forward and harness the momentum of E-Masonry and Generations X & Y. While this is a daunting task due to the present internal political machines, it is not impossible to accomplish if properly managed and marketed.
I hope my brothers find these insights useful and know that I am willing to aid and assist in any way that I can.
Fraternally,
Jeff Peace, Atlanta
Many of the Grand Lodges are cash rich and management poor. They have money but don’t know how to make it work for them or the fraternity. It is apparent that the present system is devoid of good leadership and lacks any clear vision for the future of the Craft. This situation affects not only the lodges but the appendant and concordant bodies as well, which rely on the lodges to produce new members. Since Freemasonry is democratic in nature it is impossible to simply appoint the right men for the job, and in most cases internal politics makes it unrealistic. The Shrine, on the other hand, has central management that can effect changes throughout its system of temples, and could guide the fraternity into the twenty-first century. The Scottish Rite also has the potential to do this, but it is divided into two jurisdictions that are not always willing to work together. It also suffers from an archaic aristocratic form of government that is not compatible with American ideology.
I believe that all of American Freemasonry has suffered from the poor advice of marketing firms who do not fully comprehend the nature of the Masonic fraternity, and books such as “Bowling Alone” which fails to understand and correctly interpret the social dynamics of modern society. This, compounded with poor leadership and a lack of corporate management experience, can be identified as the primary causes of the present state of decline that we are experiencing.
If we are to solve the problems that we face as an organization then we must clearly understand them and their source. Let’s begin with the generation gap.
The Generation Gap
About 70% of American Masons are 70+ years of age. The remaining 30% are divided between Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. Since the Baby Boomers failed to join in significant numbers there isn’t much of a natural social buffer existing between the senior Masons and Generations X & Y. The sociological differences between the senior Masons and Generations X & Y are extreme, and the impact that this has on the fraternity cannot be overstated. Generations X & Y are the product of a society that was torn apart at the seams by the sexual and social revolutions of the 1960’s. A large percentage of these men come from single parent homes and they have never known a secure work environment. The high divorce rates and corporate downsizing and mergers have had a major impact on their world-view. Further, the majority of senior Masons grew up in world dominated by small towns and communities. During this time period most families never moved from their hometown. Generations X & Y are unfamiliar with small towns and static communities. On average their parents moved to a new city or town approximately every six years.
Human beings are a social-tribal species that thrives in organized settlements. Whether it is the tribal nomads of the eastern deserts, the villages across Africa, the first English settlement at Plymouth, or New York City, the evidence is simply overwhelming that humans are social creatures that form “tribes” and sometimes tribes within tribes. Failure to understand this fundamental aspect of human nature can have catastrophic results on corporations, fraternities and other institutions.
By understanding the differences between senior Masons and Generations X & Y it becomes easier to understand the social dynamics presently taking place within the fraternity and the many problems associated with it. Generations X & Y have an unmet psychological and sociological need for a community (tribe). Harley Davidson Motor Company has a clear understanding of this and utilizes it to further grow their motorcycle business. Many of the bracelet-like tattoos that you see young men and women wearing are tribal. It is a way of showing that they belong to a group or community (not to be confused with gang membership). These communities are unlike the small towns of the past in that they exist as virtual social entities that can span continents and even cross oceans. They are not a part of a sub-culture or the domain of the poorer classes and exist across class distinctions. They can be found at the junior and senior executive levels of major American corporations.
The senior Masons are mostly retired from professional and blue-collar careers and have a need for a club that provides them with social activities. Generations X & Y are either at the beginning or middle of their careers and have both a sociological and psychological need to belong to a community. The differences between the needs of the senior Masons and those of Generations X & Y are extreme, and in many ways not compatible. This is the source of the problems Freemasonry is experiencing with its newest members. Young men are coming to Freemasonry in search of a tribal community and discovering a retirees social club. The majority of young men never make it past the Entered Apprentice degree for this reason. The present belief that they were offended by parts of the ritual is erroneous. They were offended by the nature of the organization; it claimed to be one thing but in reality was another.
Organizations such as Freemasonry, once started, do not continue to exist in a vacuum. They can and will evolve based on external forces. They cannot be controlled with absolute precision from any single source, but instead are controlled by naturally occurring negative feedback loops within society. Proof of this can be seen in the newly evolving E-Masonry (Electronic Masonry over the Internet) movement. Since Generations X & Y could not find the community they were seeking in the Lodges they have evolved and formed new communities online which meet their psychological and sociological needs. If this trend continues lodges, Grand Lodges, and other presently existing bodies will die off in the future and be replaced by virtual online entities. This should be a cause for alarm in both the Shrine and Grand Lodges.
Freemasonry as a Religion
It is politically incorrect to refer to Freemasonry as a religion within the present system, but to deny what is taking place within E-Masonry is to avoid accepting the facts of the evolutionary forces at work. The younger generation of Masons come from a broad spectrum of religious backgrounds: Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, Pantheist, Gnostic, Wicca, etc. In terms of Generations X & Y organized religions should be viewed as tribal in nature, because they are seeking a community identity within them. If their chosen faith fails to provide the tribal community atmosphere and identity they are seeking they will look outside of it, and many come to Freemasonry. If they identify with Masonry then it becomes a form of adopted religion to them that is intermixed with their faith. This is clearly evident in E-Masonry where discussions of the esoteric and occult can be found on almost every Masonic Internet forum and e-list.
Atheists are joining the fraternity as well, and simply circumventing the belief in a deity by choosing to view all the energy that composes the cosmos as representative of an ordered power. They are not seeking a new religion but a community of enlightened free-thinkers such as Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. This group identifies closely with the Age of Enlightenment and the Scientific Revolution that was born out of the Royal Society and the Hanoverian lodges in London in 1717.
Thus, Freemasonry is a far more serious affair to Generations X & Y than it is to the vast majority of senior Masons. To illustrate this point there is a growing movement of Traditional Observance (TO) Lodges throughout the United States. These lodges are composed of mostly Generation X & Y Masons who dress in tailcoats and white gloves and take the ritual very seriously. Freemasonry to them is more than a social club; it is a sacred and revealing psychological experience.
If we are to remain relevant and viable in the future we must begin by accepting the fact that the future is being created outside the present management structure (Grand Lodge), and attempt to find ways to allow it to join with the present system. This is the key to perpetuating the existing Masonic organizations, and should be the focus of the Shrine executive committees.
A new perspective on Masonic Lodges
The new Masonic lodge will be the center of a community of Masons. The present cookie-cutter system where all lodges do the same thing will either be replaced by a system allowing far more diversity, or it will cease to exist as a viable entity. Community oriented lodges will reflect the nature of their members, and service their needs in the same way E-Masonry does at this time.
Some lodges have already adopted the community model and are growing and thriving, but this isn’t possible on a large scale at the present time due to senior Masons controlling the majority of lodge buildings. In the cases where it is happening the lodge building is controlled by Generation X & Y Masons.
Community lodges are very different from what we have today. They are open 365 days a year and every member has a key. They have a workout room and a club room with HDTV, video games, bar, music system, pool table. They have wireless Internet access so that members can come in and work from the lodge, or just relax while reading Masonic e-lists and forums. The lodge is more serious in nature and the rituals are performed in an almost sacred atmosphere. The west gate is well-guarded because membership in the tribe/community is only open to those who fit-in with the local tribe/community. This is why Masonry will become far more diverse than it is today. Lodges will focus on the needs of their members while at the global level they will view all Masons as brothers of the greater global tribe/community.
There are examples of tribal/community building outside of Freemasonry, and a working knowledge of them can assist in understanding how to resolve the issues we face today. Many of the younger Masons are also involved in the martial arts, and they meet together with other practitioners in Dojos. Dojos are similar to lodges in many ways and are an excellent example of the tribal/community phenomenon. What should be of especial interest to the executive management of Freemasonry is the price young men are willing to pay to be a member of a Dojo. The average Dojo in Atlanta, Georgia charges $100 per month for membership. That’s $1200 per annum per member. These organizations have a good understanding of the tribal/community and are actively taking advantage of it. Freemasonry, however, has an even greater potential for community building because of its emphasis on brotherhood. As an adult fraternity we are uniquely qualified to become the ultimate tribe/community, if we understand how to utilize this sociological phenomenon to serve our interests as an organization.
How do we move forward into the future?
We must begin by facing some facts that will be painful to some senior Masons. The Grand Lodges need to become more like service bureaus providing administrative functions in support of the lodge network. They need to become servants of the lodges and provide a basic structure for the organization. The Shrine could even replace them altogether and become the center of the global tribe/community network of lodges. In many ways the Shrine already has the infrastructure in place to do this today. If the Shrine replaced the Grand Lodges it would provide for a much flatter and more cost effective management structure. This, however, cannot happen without building a new system within the old and utilizing its resources. This should begin in metropolitan areas such as New York, Atlanta, Chicago, etc.
The Shrine is dependant on the lodges for membership. If this continues to be the case then it behooves the Shrine to take an active role in the success of various lodges. If the Shrine could convince several metropolitan lodges to share their building with new lodges, which would be specifically designed to meet the needs of Generations X &Y, and get the Grand Lodge to issue Charters to them, then E-Masonry could begin to take root at the local level. The Shrine could also fund renovations of these buildings turning them into the community centers they need to be. The upfront cost would not be all that high while the potential future reward would be great indeed. The members of these lodges would view the Shrine as the visionary organization that has the leadership necessary to build and sustain Freemasonry in America.
This could begin on a very small scale in just one city as a proof of concept. Once the system is working and fine-tuned it will become a working model for the rest of the country and easily replicated.
Conclusion
American Freemasonry is at a critical juncture in its business life-cycle. Understanding the needs of its present and future members is essential to the survival of the present system. In this short paper I have attempted to provide you with a basic understanding of the needs of these men, and what it will take to move forward and harness the momentum of E-Masonry and Generations X & Y. While this is a daunting task due to the present internal political machines, it is not impossible to accomplish if properly managed and marketed.
I hope my brothers find these insights useful and know that I am willing to aid and assist in any way that I can.
Fraternally,
Jeff Peace, Atlanta