Rome/2005
Theme: How to make Freemasonry atractive to the young ?
GRAND ORIENT OF AUSTRIA
Freemasonry and Youth or:
How to handle soft boiled eggs
Annual subject 2004/05 of Loge zu den 3 Spiegeln
An egg has an elegant form with a smooth surface. If feels good to touch, it is hard and heavy and seems rather compact. An interesting object, that promises pleasure, once it has been opened. But here we encounter some difficulties: if is difficult to grip, it simply rolls away and it does not rest of its own accord on the broad end so that one could open the narrow tip. It has a surprise factor because prior to opening one does not really know what one will encounter.
Freemasonry and Youth, this subject proved to be just such a beautiful, elegant and promising egg. There were absolutely divergent attempts to crack our egg and to approach our subject. Some were long winded and careful – knock open and bit by bit with fingertips peel away the shell. Others were brisk and more direct – open with a clean blow and dip into the yolk. Some were not so lucky, because either the blow with the knife struck the egg at the wrong point and the yolk spilt onto the plate or even worse through the blow the hard shell, the form mixed with the content and resulted into an inedible mash.
However, we tried various different approaches to the subject and experienced exactly this “soft egg” syndrom.
First of all there was the question of getting to grips with this the subject. How should we place the egg in order to properly open it?
Freemasonry and youth, does this not imply contradiction?
Are Lodges not meetings of elderly gentlemen, who gather for important talks? What have they got to do with youth?
Then there was the question of which is the rounded and which the pointed end of the egg?
Is youth interesting for us or are we interesting for the youth? Possibly both? Or neither?
In any case an answer to the first part of the question seemed easier than the rest.
Yes, youth is interesting for us or at least it should be. After all these are our Brethren and Sisters of tomorrow. We should therefore support their growth and guide them to a masonic life. We should introduce them to masonic ideas and ideals, support them and accompany them on their way.
Whichever way we attacked the egg, we had to realise that the possible approach of Freemasonry and youth depends mainly on the self-image of Freemasonry.
Yes, this is it – shouted some. We have to open up, become up-to-date, active and dynamic and interesting for youth. “Caution”, warned the others. Freemasonry needs mature people with self-assurance and security. This is not an open market square with a playground for youngsters.
Just how young is this youth we are interested in? Whom are we talking about when we mention youth? Since the choice of strategy always depends on the goal.
Youth, it is said, is the gap between childhood and an adult. The period of inner and outer conflicts, the ups and downs of hope and desperation, love and injury, omnipotence and weakness. A beautiful and difficult time at once. In any case a time in which many decisions for the future adult are made, where life contents and values are questioned and newly evaluated. A time in which ideas and ideals – and why not masonic values – can mean a lot, if they are presented in the right way.
Slowly does it, some Brothers are cautioning. We are not missionaries and we should not make the same mistakes as some over ambitious parents, who impose something on their youngsters, against which they will consequently rebel.
If they search, they will find us. No, no talk of missionary work, after all we are a mystery and not an ideology! But we certainly have something to offer to youth, or do we? What should that be, ask the sceptics. As previously mentioned, we do not have much in common with youth. On the contrary we demand that people who wish to join should be mature persons.
Who talks about joining? We are talking about preliminary approach organizations.
Boy’s scout’s camps? Holiday camps? Masonic dance classes?
Why so sarcastic? We should rather consider the need of youth. Youth is seeking orientation, studies confirm this. Associations are fairly out, peer groups are in. Here and now is important, future is interesting, past can rest. The structure of values is short-lived and variable. What is left is the longing for stability in our time of excess information and the search for the mysterious.
Here is our chance: stable values and mystery - with these we should score in the colourful array of offers.
But in order that our target group can take up this offer, they need get to know us.
Beautiful as our egg is, it cannot be sold as a pig in a poke. The customer wants and needs to know, what use the goods are.
What?! We should advertise, public relations? Where we are always so concerned with secrecy and tyling? To tout and to reveal ourselves? Quantity versus quality?
Please do not over-exaggerate.
Firstly there is a small but defined difference between advertising, missionary work, wanting something, manipulating, ingratiating oneself in order to achieve an aim with someone and to inform. This is an invitation to discussions and to critical confrontations. This means to remain independent, even self-critical, but in any case self-confident and neutral rather than competing. In this case the form can invoke change . Through the form we can influence who will feel susceptible to our offer and who will not. This points to the first necessary step, should we decide to start. Which youths do we wish to reach? For which youths is our offer right and which youths are right for us? Where and how do we reach them?
And then a centre, a free and accessible information centre, not just virtual but an exchange between living and aware people. To show what we do and what we stand for.
At the same time projects, concrete youth and target group-oriented offers in order to support youth in need, but also to participate and to work on specific projects.
Yes, there are numerous ideas. We need Brothers and Sisters who can and are willing to perform the necessary basis work to prepare the way from theory to practice.
If we review all that was said and laid out over the last work period in lectures and discussions on this subject and take into account the needs of youth and our possibilities, if we do not exclude young people because of formal criteria but see in them our future Brothers and Sisters, then we have not just a chance but a duty:
To create an alternative to the enticing spirit of our time façade of polarising ideologies and destructive tendencies. It could be a satisfying and worth while masonic task to build and offer a haven in which young people could find shelter in the storms of this phase of life.
As it is stated in our masonic vow: “...to let humanity and brotherly love rule within through the word as in life through our deeds.”
We spoke well.
We opened the egg, but we have not eaten it yet.
Christian Röck, Orator of
the W:. L:. „To the three mirrors“ Grand Orient of Austria,
Or:. of Vienna, April 2005