Initiated into the Oddfellows and Community Involvement

It has been longer than I’d have liked it to be since I last updated Di Mortui Sunt.  The Holidays can really mess up a schedule.   I’ve been a pledge of the local Oddfellows chapter for most of this year and became a member on the night of October 28th.  The picture above is of all the new members and the Noble Grand of the Lodge (he’s the chairman, basically).  If it’s hard to see me it is because the black woman’s, center-right, second row, hat is blocking my face.  What do Oddfellows do?  Well it’s a social fraternity much like the Elks or Free-Masons, except the Oddfellows didn’t became a fraternity to help out their members instead they came together to do community service and help the poor.  This was something I wanted to be a part of and so I did.  If you want to know more here’s the website for the International Order as well as the Wiki page.

I’ve recommended the group to several of my friends and will be attempting to get D to join as well.  Not only does the Order help the community but it is a great social network to be part of the Lodge puts together hikes, dances, dinners, concerts, and more.  Next Tuesday (12/22) I’ll be getting my three degrees as well.  I don’t know what all this entails.  I wish I could tell you about the initiation ceremony, but then I’d have to kill you… Or maybe they’d kill me, I forget which.

Keeping with the spirit of the post I just wanted to mention how social fraternities like the Oddfellows, the Rotary club, Elk’s Lodge, etc…  are a great way to get involved with your community and to meet your neighbors.  Our culture increasingly isolates individuals from the people nearest to them: in their own towns and neighborhoods.  This alienation from the people around us can go a long way in explaining our ability to label everyone around us as ‘them’ while our own ‘us’ shrinks and shrinks.  if you don’t feel like getting active politically in your community these local social groups are another great way to contribute to your town/city while getting to know more people and make new friends.

Connecting with the people around us is the very first step in making your community, state, country, the world, a better place.

Author: Jonathon

Would rather be out swimming, running, or camping. Works in state government. Spent a youth reading genre-fiction; today, he is making up for it by reading large quantities of non-fiction literature. The fact that truth, in every way, is more fascinating than fiction still tickles him. View all posts by Jonathon