Freemasonry was designed by thinkers, for thinkers. *The most realistic qualifier is how a man answers a fundamental question; *Do you read?*Our history includes ignominious confrontation at various points with church and state. *We have had our *'ouch' moments as Professor Steven Bullock conveniently defined for us in the reaction of America to a version of masonry that had become overbearing dining on privilege. *The Order was shamed and routed, only to come out of the shadows into a changed political landscape forever ready to repel such behaviour. *During a period when the superstitions of religions reined supreme, freemasonry was heavily sanctioned. When monarchs became uncomfortable, the Order was driven underground. *And we are reminded, when the sounds of battle echo in our ears, how combatants laid down their weapons drawn out by mason recognizing mason. * *Doesn't it seem to trivialize an organization of thinkers, to declare*freemasonry is a social organization? *When gentlemen sit down to talk, good taste dictates cordiality. *Good manners among gentlemen expects good food and drink. *As we relax, we talk. As we talk we offer something worth saying. *We exchange ideas. *The best minds connect with the best music, the best literature, the best experiences. Life becomes a matter of exploration to satisfy curiousity. The close can't get in. Philistines can only mockingly accuse us of elitism. And the Order passes through time, absorbing the influence of philosophy.*Is this the elixir*against conservatism that comes with creeping old age? *One could argue, the lively ideas of our Order form what Ponce de Leon searched but never found. *Fountain of Youth? *Too radical?*

More...