One of the things I've learned about myself is that if I have something rattling around in my head for a long time, the only way to make it go away is to let it out. The following question and the thoughts accompanying it has been rattling around in my head for more than a year now, and it's time to finally let it all out.
This is directed to the members of my former Masonic lodge, Dentsville #398. I don't know how many of them actually read my blog, if any, but knowing the power of the internet I'm sure this post will find its way to them. At least I hope so, but we'll see.
So, having said that, here's the question:
WHAT DID YOU GAIN?
What did you gain by expelling me from Masonry? Is the lodge better off for it? Has attendance at the meetings improved? Has attendance at activities improved? Has the ritual performance improved? Do you have more Masons asking to sit in the chairs than you need? Has membership increased? Is the lodge still operating in the red?
And concerning the person who started all this, how many meetings has he attended? How many fundraisers has he worked? How many lodge cleanup days has he attended? How has he contributed to the lodge? (The answers to these questions is the reason I fired him as Junior Deacon in '22, by the way.)
So just what did you gain? What did Masonry in South Carolina gain?
Now let me tell you what you lost.
You lost one of the most dedicated and loyal members of the lodge. You lost one of the men that you could count on to be at EVERY meeting, EVERY ritual practice, EVERY fundraiser, EVERY lodge cleanup day, EVERY Friends and Family - EVERYTHING that the lodge did. You lost one of the best Past Masters for the past ten years (or so I've been told). You lost one of the best Secretaries the lodge had for the past 20 years (again, or so I've been told).
So you lost more than you gained.
You also caused the Shrine to lose a dedicated member, and the Directors Staff to lose one of the best Directors they'd had in the previous 5 years. You caused the Eastern Star to lose a three-time consecutive Worthy Patron with the same dedication for the OES as I had for the Lodge. You caused the Scottish Rite to lose a dedicated member, and the Knights of St. Andrews to lose a dedicated officer.
In short, you gained NOTHING and lost EVERYTHING.
What did I gain? I gained the painful knowledge that as much as I thought it was different, Masonry was no different than any other organization in that it's filled with hypocrites, people who will smile to your face one minute and stick a knife in your back in the next. It's filled with people who will talk about supporting you and how much of a "brother" they are to you, but who will abandon you at the drop of a hat the moment anything negative is said about you.
I don't need these kinds of people in my life, so I gained a lot. I gained a smaller circle composed of people who I know I can trust and who won't turn their backs on me when things get tough. My circle is small - VERY small - and that's just the way I like it.
In closing, let me say this: there's more to the story than you know. MUCH, MUCH more. I was lied to by the Master of the Lodge when all of that crap was going on, not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES. And you were lied to as well.
If you want to know the rest of the story, just ask me and I'll tell you. If not, that's fine. At this point it doesn't matter to me one way or the other because I've moved on.
But don't ever call me "brother" again, because with 4 exceptions (and you know who you are) I'm not your fuckin' brother.
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