Have We Forgot Who We Are?

Rick Boyles, a Past Grand Master of California, often contributes incisive articles to this DMC Newsletter. His musings and aspirations on the character of Odd Fellowship are relevant and inspiring. In this latest article from Brother Rick we are reminded that if we, and each of us, were to live by our guiding tenets of Friendship, Love and Truth, we would rarely go wrong as Odd Fellows. If we follow FLT in our conduct in the Lodge and in our relationships with our fraternal brothers and sisters, peace will surely follow. Our Lodge Halls should be places of peace and tranquility – a respite from the noise, trouble and turmoil of the outside world.

F – L – T

Dave Rosenberg
Past Grand Master
Jurisdiction of California

Sometimes in this order, I believe we forget who we are. I am as susceptible to this as anyone else. We are a fraternal group based on Friendship, Love, and Truth. Can we say that enough?

People I know always act like they are mad and must create disorder. There is no purpose for this, and all of us have been guilty of this at one time or another. We are comprised of thousands of members, with just as many brains, hearts, and attitudes. Spreading anger, or distrust does no good for anyone.

You may have read my messages in the last year or two on the shortened future we may have if we fail to make changes. We must make this simple change immediately and remember that each person we lose or insult or charge with crazy accusations is hurt or lost to us. Not only must we get new members, but we must also retain the old ones. When we lose one member, we often lose many.

We have people that are searching for other’s whole histories to damage that person’s reputation. This is not an Odd Fellow way to operate. Clearly, there are disgruntled people, but nothing is gained by destroying someone else, and often this reflects just as poorly upon the accuser. If we can’t reason with one another, there is no obvious reason to coexist together.

One gentleman I know says he wants to become Noble Grand so that he may speak his mind at Grand Lodge Sessions. Anyone may speak their mind, but it is never appropriate to disparage someone else publicly.

I wish we could all make a pact that we would agree to all get along together, no matter what our differences may be, politically or otherwise, and perhaps then we could tackle the bigger issue of keeping our order intact, and full of happy, cooperative individuals. If we can, I feel that we can survive, and attract those younger than most of us. If all we present is a group of bickering, inebriated, accusatory, and sometimes totally nonsensical older individuals, we are just waiting for the doors to close behind us. Let’s all try to be what we claim to be.

In F., L., & T., Rick Boyles