Posts
I guess it’s podcast reviews week on The Magpie Mason (see previous two posts). Today I comment on one I don’t even watch.
The premise of the Old Fashion [sic] Masonic Podcast, in the words of host Brian Byrd, is: “…we talk all things Freemasons [sic] while drinking an Old Fashioned.” I have seen a few episodes; I don’t see anyone drinking an Old Fashioned, but I digress.
This episode was brought to my attention by two of my research lodge cronies, acting independently (they don’t know each other), to aggravate me for their own entertainment. If you remember the Niagara Falls guy from the various Three Stooges and Abbott and Costello sketches, then you can picture me getting squirrelly when the meaning of Masonic learning is abused. For example, Bro. X says we should have a chiropractor give a talk in lodge, and then I stomp on his foot, pull down his nose, and snip his necktie in half.
Byrd’s guest on the show last Sunday was MW Steve Almager, the recently installed Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New Mexico. Masonic learning isn’t the subject of the discussion, but they approach it while agreeing on how to keep the brethren coming back to lodge during the fraternity’s overall efflux of members.
To Byrd, “Masonic Ed” either can be reading a “Short Talk,” I guess meaning a Short Talk Bulletin from the MSANA, or having a speaker visit to discuss things not pertaining to Freemasonry. That’s where the fraternity was when I was initiated in 1997: dying lodges hosting insurance brokers to talk to the guys about the pros and cons of term life policies while maybe gaining a few customers. Rotary Club stuff. Actually, I think Rotarians have higher standards.
The host and his guest here agree that investment products, tutorials in using social media, and pocket watches are good examples of educational topics to keep the brethren interested in the fraternity. “It don’t [sic] have to be Masonic,” says New Mexico’s grand master.
 |
| Gracie Films |
I disagree. One can find random subjects anywhere, including online, which is why they’re random. There’s no need to put yourself through the rigors of Masonic initiation if you want to learn about financial products. You simply could attend a free local seminar where financial advisors buy you lunch and teach the basics of securities and the like while maybe gaining a few customers.
Masonic lodges should provide what Masonic brethren cannot find anywhere else: Freemasonry. I don’t think reading a Short Talk Bulletin is the best use of precious time either, so find a way to impart the meaning of Masonry. It’s never been easier than today. Tons of information is freely available online—maybe even on this blog. There are more speakers on the Masonic scene now than probably ever before (of course there are variances in quality), so leave the real estate tips to the service clubs’ business networkers.
If you need to watch this, here it is cued to the relevant second:
Byrd mentions a previous episode that was devoted to education, which he defines as “personal and business development,” but I won’t look for it.
