YES, AND… Scott Brown, PM Federal Lodge No. 1
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fter a full year of change and isolation from this great fraternity, there is finally Masonic light at the end of the tunnel. And as we look to the future, questions remain as to how things will look moving forward and how quickly life will return to normal. While pondering these questions, I took some time to reflect on my own Masonic journey in order to appreciate how far I’ve come, and to also determine what the future might look like for my Masonic career as we get back into the swing of things. During my self-reflection, I was amazed at all the things I have done and the experiences I have been a part of in my 13-years in Freemasonry. But how did I get here? I can probably bet that every Mason reading this has heard the phrase, you get out of Freemasonry what you put into it—a common saying to anyone in their journey through the Craft. And while I had heard that phrase a million times, it wasn’t until I really took the time to reflect and analyze how I got where I am now, that I realized that this phrase could not be truer. Freemasonry can be an internal journey, as we study the philosophies and moral teachings that are inculcated to us in our ritual and teachings. But it is also an external journey of relationships and experiences that reinforce and work hand-in-hand with that ritual and those teachings to make us each a better man. In other words, how we interact with others in the Craft can have an outsized effect on our own internal work. Let me give you an example: I am a firm believer in the power of “yes,” as I have witnessed the results firsthand, because saying “yes” to even the smallest request has taken me on amazing adventures and has changed my life in ways 26 | THE VOICE OF FREEMASONRY ISSUE 2, 2021
I never thought possible. It’s a concept I took from my work in the theatre, specifically improvisational theatre, where in order to move a story or situation along, the players never say “no” to each other while improvising a scene. Rather, the rule is always to say “yes, and…”. This action positively moves the scene on while also adding to it. In my reflection, I discovered that by saying “Yes, and…” to several seemingly mundane opportunities in my Masonic career, that I “moved the scene forward” in a positive way that often created greater opportunities for me and in turn rewarded me greatly, as well. It is my hope that as you read this article, you take some time to reflect on your own Masonic journey and what the future looks
like for you when we get back to normal. Hopefully, you’ll think about saying “yes” to the adventure of taking a more active role in the fraternity. A quick disclaimer: it’s no secret that Freemasonry is a volunteer organization. Anytime we commit to doing something, we are giving our time and energy for free, without asking for something in return. We give our efforts to Freemasonry because we believe in the institution and we want to see it succeed. While not all of us give the same amount of time (and that’s okay, we all have lives outside of Freemasonry), I want to give you two examples of times that I said “yes, and…” to the smallest thing that turned into a great adventure.
