Personal involvement is the first step toward Freemasonry's survival in a constantly and
rapidly changing world.

We used to say of those who seemed to lack focus, "He wakes up in a new world every day." How little I knew, then, that it would soon be true for all of us. Nowadays, we're fortunate if the world in which we go to sleep is the same one we wake up in the next morning.

The pace of change is intense. Those of my generation were annoyed when manufacturers created "planned obsolescence." Cars, washing machines, dryers, just about everything had its years of use built in, and often that span was quite short. Now we live in a world where the computer bought one day is outdated the next, and there are entire sciences, with large and complex bodies of knowledge, which did not exist even five years ago. According to one report, more than half of the jobs in America involve positions, job descriptions, and tasks which did not exist at the beginning of the 1980s. And look at the foods at your grocery store. The staples are still there, but thousands of other products, never dreamed of just a few years ago, crowd the aisles and shelves.

The rate of change places almost intolerable stress on all institutions, from the family, to business, to government. Change has been especially harsh on institutions like Freemasonry. The goal of any institution is stability, but the driving dynamic of our society is flux. How can we possibly resolve the conflict? How can Freemasonry survive in the world of constant, rapid change?

This is not an idle question. The primary responsibility of any leader is to assure the survival of the organization he leads. Thus, I spend many words in this column and elsewhere in the pages of the Journal talking about membership, but it has to be my chief concern, as it is of every leader in Masonry. I truly believe Freemasonry can transform the world by transforming men--but this transformation cannot be done without members. Many surveys prove there is a market for what Freemasonry offers. In fact, there is a pressing need. Most young men in their late 30s feel that something important is missing from their lives. They tell us both on surveys and in conversations that they want to feel connected with other men, to sense they are doing something of benefit for their community, and to know they are growing personally. That is what Freemasonry is about and what we have always been about.

The great problem we have to solve does not concern what Masonry is and offers; it concerns how we attract men's attention long enough to tell them who we are and what we offer. Even for a generation raised on sound bytes and video games, growth still takes time. It is true they want shortcuts, just as a young teenager wants to have his full physical growth all at once. But it just doesn't work that way. Freemasonry, like personal growth, is a life-long journey.

You, the individual Scottish Rite Mason, are still the best solution we have to the problem of membership, especially those of you with friends in their 30s and 40s. You can do a favor for both the Rite and your friends. First of all, make sure you understand why the Rite is important in your own life. Think about the children we help with our RiteCare Childhood Language Program and our many other philanthropies. Think about what you have learned about yourself. Think about the friendships you have formed and the opportunities you have to lead, to contribute, to mentor, and to be mentored. Think about the fact that honor and integrity still matter in the world.

Then talk with your friends about Masonry. Provide the spark. Articulate the vision. Welcome them into the Masonic family and share with them the world of Freemasonry. Then, our Craft will master the new realities of our world and carry Freemasonry, viable and dynamic, into the new century.