One Day Class

by RmOlano

25Jul09

There are sections within the Fraternity which tend to “look down” upon those who did not take the “traditional” course of instructions. This group of hard core Brothers played by the rules and to see that the same rules get “optimized” for the benefit of some reasons they don’t agree is always comes down to a very predictable reaction. If we are to view Freemasonry as an entity that provide ladder for societal advancement, then the manner by which a brother achieve his laurel of victory i.e. Master Mason Degree is a consideration may be worth looking into. There are those who in spite of lack of memorization skills forged ahead to get through proficiency examination in front of the entire Lodge therefore, gets annoyed to those who skipped the process. Justice is a tenet of Freemasonry---meeting on the level, acting by the plumb and parting upon the square. Those words are more than learning by rote.

Having said that, in my view, it is un-Masonic conduct to the Brothers to be treated any “less” than those who did went through the “old fashioned way.” Obviously, there were not many options offered to the candidates as the some jurisdictions made the decision for them. I have witnessed candidates who preferred to go through “long form” rather than the easier “short form” proficiency examinations. One doesn’t have to be surprised why it’s easier for them to get “approval” and recognition from the old-timers.

On the other hand, if we perceived Freemasonry as “a system of morality, veiled in allegories and illustrated by symbols,” what moral lessons these one-day class can we identify as deficiencies from the preferred method? If we already taken the interest of some good men, would a one day class would make them less than from what they were? Men stayed with the Fraternity not because of the short or long class but because they found something that held and sustained their interest. Whether the curiosities are about philosophical, mystical, camaraderie, and even religious, these are also examples of why men joined the Craft. Sustaining interest on a deeply held notion is what makes an individual do what others do not even care about.

One of various rationale of one-day class is to make “easier” for the contemporary man to “join” the Craft. Time as always gets to be blamed for the majority of illness in this world. The process to become a Master Mason is “too long” for some hence, comes an abbreviated version as if the idea was taken from the “higher bodies” e.g. Scottish Rite or York Rite class concept. Same pretext, it takes too long to become Knight Templar or get 32nd Degree so instead of experience, the candidates get to watch the process from the comfort of his chair or bench. So much for the initiatory experience, the feeling of getting lost, uncertainty, rush of adrenalin, the acceptance of something beyond ones control, the initial thought of “Aha” and the possible glimpse of a dark side of the unknown. These concept are lost during our pursuit to draw “more” members. Somehow the quest becomes an exercise of numbers and statistics as if the Craft is about profit, operating expenses, overhead, etc. In the never ending discussion of quality versus quantity, the one-day class is heavily tilted to quantity cabal of Fraternity. There are those who opposed this idea for its unfairness to those who will miss the very essence of the initiatory process. There are many invisible small but valuable nuances that make up an experience, sitting on the chair and watching someone stumble on might be funny at a time but that is not what the Degree work is about. It is more than amateur stage plays and although the modern Freemasonry initiatory practice is a mere shadow of the real process---every Masonic Degree work is a favor not a required statistic for someone advancement.

“Each degree work should be considered as a favor to be given and not as a requirement to fulfill. We should and must hands out favors sparingly, to give it to those we hope that will return the same favor to somebody else when we old-timers were gone and soon to be forgotten.”

It is truly a gift.

Degree Work-A Favor.

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