I have heard many times over the last few years that Freemasonry is just a hobby, not just from a Brother or two in my own Lodge, but from others from different areas of the Province and ranks. Sometimes I felt it came across as something that was not to be taken too seriously, something that you just do to pass the time maybe. This question, ‘is Freemasonry just a hobby?’ has intrigued me, and now I want to find the answer. Why do some people feel that it is and others do not?
I used to think there was just one answer, but when I decided to write this post, I started to think about it more deeply and I now believe it can be both.
The answer I have come to believe is that it depends on who you are and why you joined. It’s all down to you.
To answer the question from your own point of view, I think that it depends on why you became a Mason in the first place, and this will determine the answer. I have realised that if you became a Mason to socialise and make new friends, then yes, I guess you could look at Masonry as a hobby, spending your evenings with like-minded people that you regard as great lifelong friends. On the other hand, if you joined to help do charity work and help make a difference in your community, through many of the year’s fundraising activities, you could consider it a benevolent and meaningful hobby. But if you become a Mason to better yourself, to use the teachings inculcated in the three Degrees as self-improvement, to help aid in turning a good version of yourself into a better or great one, well then, is that not a full-time objective and goal? one that is not just a hobby, but a lifelong path to be walked down.
It doesn’t just happen as soon as you become a Master Mason, the night of your third Degree ceremony. Suddenly, at the end of the Ceremony, you become a better version of yourself. No! That’s not how it works. It takes time, dedication, and experience to achieve this, and some members can often fly through the three degrees in such a short period of time without really learning anything along the way.
The dictionary describes the word Hobby as: a pursuit outside one’s regular occupation, engaged in especially for relaxation.
You could argue that even by considering it as a hobby, you are still taking part and picking up the attributes that improve your character, which in turn make you a better person. But what if it is your goal? To focus on the goal every day, another level of dedication needs to be actively employed. Just as one would decide to choose a career in something that could be considered a hobby to some. Some kind of sports person, becoming an artist or maybe a musician. At what stage does a hobby become a career? Is it along the path or at the beginning when the decision is made?
The time and dedication that the Provincial grand ranks put into masonry can take up a lot of your time, one may even call it a second job! Even though you are not getting paid for your service.
This was another point that somebody mentioned when I asked their opinion on the matter. ’’Well, you don’t get paid’’ was the first thing they said, and yes, that is correct, but does money dictate what is considered to be a hobby? As Bro. Benjamin Franklin, Grand Master of Pennsylvania, said, ”Masonic labour is purely a labour of love. He who seeks to draw Masonic wages in gold or silver will be disappointed. The wages of a Mason are earned and paid in their dealings with one another; sympathy begets sympathy, kindness begets kindness, helpfulness begets helpfulness, and these are the wages of a Mason. Would you consider going to church every Sunday as a hobby? I’m not saying that Masonry is the same thing as Church or religion, as Masonry accepts all religions, what I mean is that it is the psychological connection you have with the activity, that can dictate whether or not you consider it a hobby
Four years from now, I will be Worshipful Master of my Mother Lodge, and there are many things I will have to learn for each of the Ceremonies that I will be conducting throughout that year that I am in the Chair. Between now and then, there are also the other offices leading up to that distinguished title that also require a lot of learning and dedication to deliver an excellent and memorable ceremony for the candidate. That is one of the true teachings of Masonry, all the hard work, learning and practising done throughout the year. It is not for you, it is for the Candidate. I am honoured to have received such amazing Ceremonies for my initiation, passing and raising from my Brethren in my Lodge, and even my Exaltation I received from Companions in my Royal Arch Chapter. From what I remember, they were all perfectly done with little to no prompting required.
With all this hard work that goes into learning and presenting the ceremonies perfectly from memory, could you not say that it requires the same level of attention and dedication as a professional or amateur actor? Thinking about your lines every free moment you have throughout the day. Running through in your mind your movements around the Temple as you deliver those lines, should your office or section of the book require you to do so.
It is definitely an interesting topic, and I feel that most do consider it to be just a hobby. I wanted to articulate how it could be considered as something more to some people, like a calling rather than something they choose to do for fun or get invited to join in with. The fact that it can be more to some people does suggest that it is not completely just a hobby.
