The good and the Bad

Most of the time the people I interact with are well behaved.  There are times though in every organization, where people struggle to follow the Constitution and By-Laws or rules that have been put in place by wise men of days gone by.  As Grand Master it is incumbent upon me to hold up the behavior of Michigan Masons against the backdrop of these rules of conduct.  If the men sway away from these codes of conduct, we would first whisper counsel in his ear of the error of his ways.  There are occasions though, where the behavior is so hideous, that it results in civil action, judgment and public sentence in courts of law, which then end up on my desk to be considered for unmasonic conduct. Today I reviewed a couple of cases.  I can tell you that when I find a Mason committing felonious activity, it requires me to remove him from membership immediately. There is no mercy, no trial. Interestingly enough, as Masons, even though we loose our membership in this organization, we are still bound, and expected to act and walk as though we are in good standing.  There are many men who have not learned these lessons.... and the hardest way to learn is by violating those rules.  That said, I sure enjoy meeting the good men of Michigan Masonry around this great state.  There are still good men, true, and chivalric in nature. Let us hope to rest emulate these fine examples.