3 minute read
From the Editor’s Desk
“I’ve Been Everywhere, Man”
by PJ Roup, 33˚, Editor, Active for Pennsylvania
I’ve been everywhere, man I’ve been everywhere, man Crossed the deserts bare, man I’ve breathed the mountain air, man Of travel I’ve had my share, man I’ve been everywhere.
—Johnny Cash Mark Twain famously said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrowmindedness. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
Whether you take it in by car, rail, air, motorcycle, bicycle, or even on foot, this country has something to offer to every traveler. There are new parks, attractions, towns, restaurants, and people to discover around every corner.
This issue features three men who know that more than most. Brother Vic Frederick, who, accompanied by Brothers Glen Houck and Rick Storms, completed his third 49-state ride to benefit the Children’s Dyslexia Centers this summer. In their travels, they met amazing people, saw breathtaking sights, received donations from strangers, and helped others along the way. While they may not have been (as Johnny Cash says) to Boston, Charleston, Dayton, Louisiana, Washington, Houston, Kingston, Texarkana, Monterey, Faraday, Santa Fe, Tallapoosa, Glen Rock, Black Rock, Little Rock, or Oskaloosa (at least not in that order), it’s fair to say that they’ve been practically everywhere, man. Their 30-day whirlwind tour of the United States (and a little bit of Canada) astride motorcycles pushed them to their limits both physically and emotionally (Vic reminds us it is not for the faint of heart), but to a man, they all want to do it again.
When you kneel at the altar, take a station of leadership, or tread onto the Scottish Rite stage, you don’t do it alone.
Why is that? Sure, there are the vistas, the locales, and the reminiscences that will stay with them for life, but there is also something more. They learned that they were capable of something amazing. And what’s more, sharing those experiences as a group developed an unbreakable bond.
The same can be said of Freemasonry in general and the Scottish Rite in particular. When you kneel at the altar, take a station of leadership, or tread onto the Scottish Rite stage, you don’t do it alone. You might feel like you are on your own at any of those moments, but your Brothers have your back—not only those in the room with you but the multitudes who traveled those same roads before you. There have been many times I have felt the spirit, the love, and the labor of those who came before, and I suspect you have as well.
Not everyone is cut out to traverse 49 states in 30 days, but you can tour theworld (and travel through time) in the Scottish Rite. You can see King Solomon in the Holy Land, medieval kings in Europe, and George Washington in colonial America all in the same day. You can also reunite with Brothers you haven’t seen in a while as well as meet some new ones.
This year, make a point to travel. You don't have to go far. Find a new road, a new restaurant, a new friend. If you can't travel, visit your Valley, or perhaps the next one down the road. Let the Scottish Rite be the journey.
It'll take you everywhere, man.
