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ownersequity t1_iua1bgp wrote

Reply to comment by enderandrew42 in eli5: What are freemasons and why are there so many conspiracies about them? by SovietCyka756

I became a member but the lodge didn’t have anyone under 80 years old in it. I just didn’t feel like I belonged. The master was on Oxygen and couldn’t make it through my initiation. I haven’t been back since my initiation 15 years ago. Sad.

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Antman013 t1_iua2t9a wrote

This is, unfortunately, the case with MANY community organizations. Our modern world seems to have less time for the sort of community fraternization that was promoted by groups like the Kinsmen, Lion's Clubs, Rotary, and yes, Freemasonry. To say nothing of groups like the Scouts and Guides.

The mixing of people with disparate backgrounds on an equal footing allowed for a certain sense of community building among members. A Doctor sitting next to a factory working, ruminating on the issues of the day, would allow for a wider perspective for both men. That is something missing today.

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I, too, was in a situation similar to yours when I joined, if not as extreme.

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senorali t1_iua82a1 wrote

Social media has given people the ability to do this without geographical limitations. Clubs aren't dead, they just migrated to the digital world.

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Antman013 t1_iuagc50 wrote

While the online world can provide the same sense of fellowship, the membership is much less diverse than the groups mentioned. One need only look at certain sub-reddits for proof. The benefit to the community at large of these sorts of groups is what I was getting at earlier.

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senorali t1_iuaxk20 wrote

It's the exact opposite in my opinion. Online groups have the potential to be far more diverse, whereas the masons are predominantly old white men.

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Antman013 t1_iubdk7c wrote

We clearly hang our in different subs. Most subs I frequent that have even a tangential relationship to politics (r/Toronto, for example, though I have left it) skew young and socialist.

Even a lot of "sports" related subs go that route.

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This could just be a function of the internet itself, but it IS there. Also, while my Lodge had it's share of "old white guys", we were actually fairly diverse (unsurprising, given the demographics of my home town).

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ownersequity t1_iua7zdp wrote

I believe it was the soldiers returning from WW2 that needed that brotherhood. They were used to their lives being defined by masculine community. When they returned, they filled the ranks of all of those organizations you mention (I am often asked to join the Knights of Pythias). Now those old gentlemen are dying out and decreasing the ranks. They have to figure out how to change with the times.

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Antman013 t1_iuaff5g wrote

Freemasonry has existed LONG before the 20th century. Kiwanis was founded in 1915, during WW1, but before US involvement. Lions Club was 1917. Rotary was founded in 1905.

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So, while soldiers may have sought out these groups post WW2, they certainly were not the only people joining.

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ownersequity t1_iuaqn6g wrote

I didn’t say they were the only people joining, but it was a swell in the ranks for sure, and those are the ones that have died or are dying out without that volume of replacement

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Bogmanbob t1_iuadgss wrote

Yea I find the same is true with my running club. At least those seniors are crazy healthy.

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enderandrew42 t1_iua9j6n wrote

I just transferred to a lodge that was a better fit for me. All the officers are younger guys with kids. Ours is very much a family lodge.

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