Justin Buirski
Registered User
Verbatin from The Square and Compasses.
A news letter for the Grand Lodge of South Africa. No. 30 October 2014
By the Most Worshipful Brother Geoff Edwards.
Meeting the Challenge
A few years ago an article in the local press caught my attention. It was based on a study performed by an English University Professor and his team, in which they had explored the concept of “lucky” people versus “unlucky people”. They enlisted the assistance of several hundred diverse individuals, spread evenly between the 2 categories. Clearly, as a starting point, it was necessary for each of the participants to identify which of the 2 groups they believed that they belonged to.
As the study progressed, it became increasingly apparent that, in reality, neither of the 2 groups was “luckier” or “unluckier” than the other. Statistically, if we spread their attempts at enjoying good fortune over a significant sample, we should expect them to be equal, and indeed they were! Having said that, the group who believed that they were “lucky” people enjoyed more of the benefits that we would tend to attribute to good luck. They won more prizes in competitions, enjoyed more success in business and social activities as a result of their efforts and generally lived a happier, more contented existence.
The investigating team then set about analysing some of the factors influencing the outcomes that they had identified and their findings make interesting reading. Firstly, there was no doubt that the “lucky” group won more raffle prizes, but this was because, always feeling that they had a chance of success, they tended to buy more tickets. Secondly, the “lucky” group tended to be more aware of and receptive to opportunities. Believing that they were “lucky”, they always expected something good to happen to them and they were more likely to be ready to react to the opportunities which presented themselves.
The “unlucky” people tended to be life’s pessimists. As they weren’t expecting anything good to happen to them, they simply missed the opportunities which arose. They were more concerned about minimising the negative impact of the misfortune which they perceived to be their lot in life and were extremely conservative when it came to taking chances unless they were absolutely certain that they would not fail.
The survey concluded, Brethren, that, as a general rule, all of us share the same prospects of good and bad fortune and that, from a practical point of view, we really do tend to make our own “luck”. Yes, of course there are extremes, and ordinary people have both good and bad experiences, but it is completely unrealistic to expect that you will experience one or the other in greater allocation than those around you.
What will vary, though Brethren, is how we each, as individuals, react to the challenges and opportunities that we face. If we focus on looking on the bright side of life, if we are alert to the positive opportunities presented to us, if we have self-belief and have confidence in our ability to promote good fortune for ourselves and those around us - then we create an environment in which we can succeed in our quest. If, however, we accept that we are simply “unlucky” and that fate is against us, we are unlikely to enjoy any of the fruits reserved for those who overcome the inevitable obstacles that lie ahead of them.
Brethren, in my recent Installation address, I outlined some of the key issues that I believe that we face as we strive to move our Grand Lodge forwards. If you missed the Grand Lodge AGM, this address is in the September 2014 issue of the Square and Compasses but, in summary, the basic issues are really not very complex:
As a Grand Lodge, we will expect our Divisions and Lodges to have meaningful growth plans and actions and will do what we can to support them in their endeavours. We’ll work on providing good quality educational material, promote open evenings, strive for more media exposure and will look to implement any other support initiatives which we feel will help the Lodges to meet their growth goals.
At the end of the day, however, our success is going to depend on our Brethren. Some Lodges have adopted an extremely positive approach to the challenge and are already enjoying great success, but far too many are still being held back by the negativity of some of their members and their lack of confidence – and the first thing that we have to change is their attitude. To most of our members, Freemasonry really is a very special organisation and they feel, as I do, “lucky” that our Order is part of their lives. We must, however, behave like the “lucky” people in our survey and grab the opportunities presented.
As Freemasons, we now need to share our good fortune and spread our good news message amongst men similar to ourselves – of whom, in reality, our society has a great number. Truth is, that there really are many men who would love to be Freemasons if only they knew more about us or knew how to join us. Just have a look at the number of men who contact us through our Grand Lodge web site. If we initiate the contact and create the opportunities, we will get the results we desire – and yes, there will still be those who campaign against us or undermine our efforts, and challenges will still have to be overcome.
In simple terms, to double our numbers by 2020, each Brother has to introduce 1 new Brother during the intervening years – and that’s how difficult the challenge really is! We just have to do it. To quote Henry Ford, “Whether you believe that you can or whether you believe that you can’t, you are probably right”. When it comes to growth, Brethren, “we can”. The time has come for each and every one of our members to take personal responsibility for their part in meeting the challenge and to set about making it happen.
MW Bro Geoff Edwards OSM
A news letter for the Grand Lodge of South Africa. No. 30 October 2014
By the Most Worshipful Brother Geoff Edwards.
Meeting the Challenge
A few years ago an article in the local press caught my attention. It was based on a study performed by an English University Professor and his team, in which they had explored the concept of “lucky” people versus “unlucky people”. They enlisted the assistance of several hundred diverse individuals, spread evenly between the 2 categories. Clearly, as a starting point, it was necessary for each of the participants to identify which of the 2 groups they believed that they belonged to.
As the study progressed, it became increasingly apparent that, in reality, neither of the 2 groups was “luckier” or “unluckier” than the other. Statistically, if we spread their attempts at enjoying good fortune over a significant sample, we should expect them to be equal, and indeed they were! Having said that, the group who believed that they were “lucky” people enjoyed more of the benefits that we would tend to attribute to good luck. They won more prizes in competitions, enjoyed more success in business and social activities as a result of their efforts and generally lived a happier, more contented existence.
The investigating team then set about analysing some of the factors influencing the outcomes that they had identified and their findings make interesting reading. Firstly, there was no doubt that the “lucky” group won more raffle prizes, but this was because, always feeling that they had a chance of success, they tended to buy more tickets. Secondly, the “lucky” group tended to be more aware of and receptive to opportunities. Believing that they were “lucky”, they always expected something good to happen to them and they were more likely to be ready to react to the opportunities which presented themselves.
The “unlucky” people tended to be life’s pessimists. As they weren’t expecting anything good to happen to them, they simply missed the opportunities which arose. They were more concerned about minimising the negative impact of the misfortune which they perceived to be their lot in life and were extremely conservative when it came to taking chances unless they were absolutely certain that they would not fail.
The survey concluded, Brethren, that, as a general rule, all of us share the same prospects of good and bad fortune and that, from a practical point of view, we really do tend to make our own “luck”. Yes, of course there are extremes, and ordinary people have both good and bad experiences, but it is completely unrealistic to expect that you will experience one or the other in greater allocation than those around you.
What will vary, though Brethren, is how we each, as individuals, react to the challenges and opportunities that we face. If we focus on looking on the bright side of life, if we are alert to the positive opportunities presented to us, if we have self-belief and have confidence in our ability to promote good fortune for ourselves and those around us - then we create an environment in which we can succeed in our quest. If, however, we accept that we are simply “unlucky” and that fate is against us, we are unlikely to enjoy any of the fruits reserved for those who overcome the inevitable obstacles that lie ahead of them.
Brethren, in my recent Installation address, I outlined some of the key issues that I believe that we face as we strive to move our Grand Lodge forwards. If you missed the Grand Lodge AGM, this address is in the September 2014 issue of the Square and Compasses but, in summary, the basic issues are really not very complex:
- Freemasonry is a way of life – if we don’t live according to the lessons we teach, it has no real purpose whatsoever;
- As Freemasons, we have to practice tolerance, particularly in our changing country:
- We have to create Lodges which Brethren are proud to be part of and enjoy being associated with. Masonry must be a quality experience:
- For the sake of our future, we need to achieve meaningful growth.
As a Grand Lodge, we will expect our Divisions and Lodges to have meaningful growth plans and actions and will do what we can to support them in their endeavours. We’ll work on providing good quality educational material, promote open evenings, strive for more media exposure and will look to implement any other support initiatives which we feel will help the Lodges to meet their growth goals.
At the end of the day, however, our success is going to depend on our Brethren. Some Lodges have adopted an extremely positive approach to the challenge and are already enjoying great success, but far too many are still being held back by the negativity of some of their members and their lack of confidence – and the first thing that we have to change is their attitude. To most of our members, Freemasonry really is a very special organisation and they feel, as I do, “lucky” that our Order is part of their lives. We must, however, behave like the “lucky” people in our survey and grab the opportunities presented.
As Freemasons, we now need to share our good fortune and spread our good news message amongst men similar to ourselves – of whom, in reality, our society has a great number. Truth is, that there really are many men who would love to be Freemasons if only they knew more about us or knew how to join us. Just have a look at the number of men who contact us through our Grand Lodge web site. If we initiate the contact and create the opportunities, we will get the results we desire – and yes, there will still be those who campaign against us or undermine our efforts, and challenges will still have to be overcome.
In simple terms, to double our numbers by 2020, each Brother has to introduce 1 new Brother during the intervening years – and that’s how difficult the challenge really is! We just have to do it. To quote Henry Ford, “Whether you believe that you can or whether you believe that you can’t, you are probably right”. When it comes to growth, Brethren, “we can”. The time has come for each and every one of our members to take personal responsibility for their part in meeting the challenge and to set about making it happen.
MW Bro Geoff Edwards OSM