YABUTS

YABUTS are monstrous little beasts that inhabit the meetings and
conversations that take place all over our Fraternity. A YABUT'S purpose in
life is to sap a team of its competitive strength by killing any new ideas
or creative approaches as soon as they are suggested.

They do this by grabbing someone's tongue and making them say things like:

"YABUT" we tried that three years ago.

"YABUT" we've never done it like that before.

"YABUT" Grand Lodge will never go along with it.

"YABUT" the members will never buy into that kind of idea

"YABUT" they [the ubiquitous "they" who control the world] won't let us.

"YABUT" it might not work.

"YABUT" I think it says in the Book of Constitution and /or the Bylaws we
should do it this way.

Be aware that when they crawl onto the table during a meeting or swoop down
into a Lodge room conversation, those "YABUTS" sometimes don't look
monstrous at all. Often, they adopt the appearance of a cute, cuddly,
perfectly acceptable, or even helpful contribution to the discussion.

But If "YABUTS" are not recognized and stomped out right away, they usually
succeed in their deadly, negative missions. The flow of ideas soon changes
from: "This is how we can make it work." To "How can we make it work?" and
all the reasons it won't work, and therefore, it isn't worth trying.


> Well I come from a lodge here in San Antonio. Here in our lodge the Master
> has made our second stated meeting of the month "Family Night".
<snip>
> Now you know Masonry will grow when you have children
> such as mine that are always asking when they can go to lodge with me. One
> thing that is apparent is that if you make the "families" feel they are a
> part of Masonry then your lodge attendance will grow and in turn Masonry
> will grow.

Kudo's to you Brother David,
You have hit the nail right on the head.  What your lodge is doing is exactly
what FreeMasonry in the USA needs. Hiram No. 7 started a program similar to
this about 2 years ago and we are having the same results.  What hurts is the
fact, that I know your post is being read by many of the Brethren shaking their
head from side to side saying "No, that won't work in our Lodge", and then they
will hit the delete key.

Life is Good on Pawleys Island,
Grady Lee Honeycutt
Editor Hiram Worldwide Newsletter



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   The lodge wasn't unlike many, if not most. Some said it was
dead... it just hadn't laid down. It once had a heyday when the
candidates flocked through on their way to the rites and to the
Shrine. But those days were over. All there was now was a
sincere little group who were honest and trusting and spent
much of their time recanting how it used to be.
    Then last night a rare event occurred. A brother brought in a
petition. The first one in quite a while. The Secretary read it in
the normal way then someone asked a question... "why?"
"What do you mean," the Master asked. The one who asked
the question in proper form said "why did the man petition our
lodge? I'm happy he did, but I really don't understand. From what
was read I gather he's a young man... a family man... a man with
a promising job. Look at us... we're gray. We've lived our lives,
most have long retired. Why would such a man seek us?" he asked.
    The Master looked toward the brother who brought the petition.
"Some won't believe it, but it was the way it was supposed to be. He
asked to join the Masons because he knows Brother Elmore, Bro.
Whitaker, Bro. Jones... and even me. And all I can do is repeat what
was said to me. He had dealt with us in business and known us most
of his life. He knew us to be honest men who never put a dollar before
integrity regardless of the cost.
    "He knew us to be family men in a world where fidelity and honesty
in marriage are rare. He knew us to be church men whose belief in a
God was more than just words... it was a guiding force.
    A tear began to run down the presenter's cheek. "He said we knew
something that the world didn't know about integrity and honor and
doing what was right. And most of all he said we knew the secret of
Masonry which wasn't some silly password or mumbo-jumbo of a club.
It was the strength of knowing that when we did something right in a
world where the popular thing is wrong we didn't stand alone."
    "This young man petitioned us because of what we have done. He
comes to us because of what we are. Isn't that the way it's supposed
to be?"
    There was a pride that night in lodge. Each man knew that the days
of searching for gimmicks and the easy way was over. They knew that
night that the way of the ancients actually worked, and that this man was
their future. He had seen them... and others would see him. What those
others would see now depended on them.

Dan Weatherington PM
Wilson (NC) 712


