Why did you become a Freemason?

Date: Tue, 3 Oct 2006 19:51:18 -0400
From: "adam golden" <abgolden@gmail.com>
To: "masonry-ask@mit.edu" <masonry-ask@mit.edu>
Subject: Why I became a Mason

There are many reasons one desires to become a Mason, but it I find it ultimately boils down to one statement: I want to be a better man; For myself, for my family, for society.

Like many others, many of my ancestors were Masons, so it had piqued my curiosity. That curiosity grew at a funeral, as is quite common. I'm a history junkie and read quite a lot, so its mysterious and intresting past played its part. But quite simply, I'm not the man I know I'm capable of being.

Though I was already interested in Masonry by the age of 25, it was a near death experience in my 25th year that inspired me. Not the fear of death or the lying in misery in the hospital. No, it was the generosity that my friends, family, and coworkers showed me as I was bedridden for 3 months. No one act of kindness has motivated me so much as each one of theirs did.

Now a half a year later, I've become an Entered Apprentice and am on my way to enlightenment, to bettering myself, to doing whatever is in my means to help others. Honesty and Virtue were never shortcomings of mine, but lack of sympathy or generosity had plagued me, as it often does with those my age. Even in the short period of time, I have no doubt the Craft has made me a better man. To me, that is what Masonry is all about.

Adam