THE SEARCH FOR LEGITIMACY

Legitimacy. The idea that Dutch freemasons took on powerful church and political interests because they sought legitimacy with the Grand Lodge of England is in my opinion, one of the most beautiful declarations about purpose that I've read in many many years.  I want to own it, as should every legitimate brother so obligated. We can be as parochial as ever, but it doesn't push us off the primacy of our efforts; to assert our practices to earn the legitimacy of our mother Grand Lodge.  We are no more capable of setting standards of masonry as we are capable of producing our own version of geometry or mathematics. If and when we use the tools wisely, creatively we contribute to a body of knowledge accumulated from the finest minds that lived before us.  Listening to their music, studying their plays and poetry, contemplating their artwork, enables us to be influenced by that thinking. Apart from the necessity of governance and polity, our success is not determined in our house, but whether it has scratched the surface of legitimacy that no one owns but everyone celebrates. That's why we study the finest philosophers, for their clarity and logic. We know if we want to be accepted into that world of influence, we need to understand the work going on around us today is a continuance of thinking from the best minds.  Because we have no need to be influenced by mediocrity. We are quite capable of mastering that on our own. Merit is now what we decide. It is the audience to our performance that matters.  Don't expect applause. But we can give ourselves a high-five every now and then.