From the Quarries

Freemasonry has long claimed that it makes good men better. But what, in practical terms, might that actually mean?

In From Good Men to Great Men: The Lodge as a Flywheel, we examine the Lodge as a developmental institution: a place in which character, discipline, mentorship, fellowship, responsibility and service accumulate over time. Drawing on the work of Jim Collins, Bill Campbell, Martin Seligman and Abraham Maslow, the lecture considers how modern ideas about leadership, human flourishing and self-development illuminate familiar Masonic practices, from candidate selection and the progressive offices to the Working Tools, ritual learning and the role of the Past Master.

The central argument is a modest one. Freemasonry does not manufacture greatness, nor can ritual substitute for effort. What the Lodge can provide is a structure in which men are repeatedly encouraged to learn, accept correction, assume responsibility, develop competence and eventually pass their experience on to others.

My sincere thanks to W.Bro. Wayne Smith of Lodge Toowoomba, whose original presentation provided the basis for this lecture and whose argument, examples and observations have been adapted here for From the Quarries.

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