Revenge Over Apathy

To find men who have the capability to benefit from FM, requires a generalizable understanding of particular traits. Like merit. Is it so valued that it is the essential qualifier that catches our attention as it should?  It would take time. Impatience has too often pushed the task aside. We find traces of this where we replace merit with celebrity, or some aspect that argues the importance of an individual. Both such conditions are no substitute for a simple proof, that a man within his own life, has made a significant contribution of some dimension. If he is able to commit and has a sense of spirituality, our ritual articulates certain tasks against which his progress is measured~completely in his own hands.  In order to do this, a lodge needs to be significantly aware. Otherwise selection is a random process, making it very difficult to shape the lodge character.  I'd be suspicious of a group that doesn't have shared core beliefs.No two lodges are ever the same. Affinity lodges have experienced a renaissance in some areas. Against a strong cultural backstop, other lodges go about  their work with presence of mind, where the business at hand is reverence for one another, heightening the importance of ritual and mutually rewarding association. Some men become very self conscious when exposed to reasoned thinking. Others find the very thought, an exciting opportunity. If a man choose to be limited by his experience, how could he possibly be receptive to the expansiveness of ideas? It is not to suggest every seat is taken by someone who appreciates the arts, but it does suggest an appreciation is much more rewarding that feeling compelled to listen.  FM is no accident. It is a rich tapistry offered in symbolic language spoken by intelligent minds. No panacia, except for being sanctuary.