Blue Lodge
Recently I asked for relief from my dues for this year at my blue lodge. I crashed my car and recently moved and I am basically living paycheck to paycheck. Most of the brothers at the lodge know this so I didn't figure there would be many questions on why I needed relief. Well I guess I was wrong one of the 1st questions was why I hadn't come and supported more of the dinners they held (other than the one on the meeting nights) Also if I had paid my dues in the other organizations I belonged to. Well as they say this was the straw that broke the camels back, all's they seem to care about at the lodge is how much you've worked in the kitchen and how many dinners you've attended, let's just forget that every Master Masons who's been raised in the lodge since I joined has been taught by me without any help at all. I didn't join the masons to be in some kinda glorified dinner club. As far as my other organizations, if it wasn't for them I probably would've dropped masonry long ago, anyhow I haven't paid any of them yet either but the difference here is over $100 to $10. I can swing $10 without it really hurting much. I was on the fence last year about continuing in line to become master, well this pretty much settled it, for all intents and purposes I've resigned as an officer of the lodge although I will continue with the regular meetings and sign a proxy for Grand lodge so as I don't break my obligation. My lodge seems more concerned with having dinners and trying to raise money for the building then taking care of there fellow brothers our meetings are so boring it's no wonder no one comes to them. Then when a brother comes to them with in an obvious time of need his loyalty is questioned. My friend says I should continue and become master so I can change things but because of the prevailing attitude at the lodge I really feel this would be a waste of time. Being raised in a lodge as a Master Mason doesn't make you a Master Mason unless you follow the principles that are supposed to guide us, especially to another brother. Here's another kicker, one of the brothers that questioned my loyalty just last year ask to be reinstated in my Royal Arch chapter. I was secretary at the time and looked up his records and saw that he had been granted relief from dues for 2 years and then was dropped after 2 more years. I told the chapter that he had paid the current years dues and thought he should be reinstated. There was some discussion as to be granted relief you need to ask for it each year, that's why he was dropped. I felt that we should be forgiving for our brothers mistake and not hold his feet over the coals. Anyways he was reinstated and since that point he's only shown up for a single meeting in a year. I don't regret the decision at all though, it's just sad that I should have to point to my own examples to someone whos a 2X Past Master himself. So I will move on and try to find a new blue lodge and no one can say that I rode the masters chair just to get my past masters pin and then abandoned the lodge.