Episode 47. New Member Perspective

This week we hear about the Masonic journey from three newer members: 

Jake Reimer, Colby Tucker, and Kale Walch. These Brothers share insightful perspective about why they joined, what keeps them motivated to stay involved, and the positive impact of deep meaningful friendships.

Transcript

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Hi, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Minnesota Masonic Histories and Mysteries. My name is Reed Endersby. I am the Director of Membership for the Grand Lodge of Minnesota. You've heard us talking a lot lately about relationships and brotherhood and the entire Masonic experience. And I'm excited today to be welcoming three relatively new Master Masons, Jake Reimer, Colby Tucker, and Kale Walsh. Jake, let's start with you. If you please introduce yourself. Where you're from, where you grew up, went to school, all those good things, and what your home lodge is. For sure, yeah, I appreciate you having me on, it's, uh, for sure an honor. My name is Jake Reimer, I'm 22 years old, I grew up in Apple Valley, Minnesota, and I attended Dunwoody College of Technology, and I studied computer networking systems. And currently I do estimate work for a laser and CNC fabrication shop. And I'm a member of Corinthian Lodge, number 67 in Farmington, Minnesota. Farmington being South of the Metro for any of our listeners who are not familiar with the geography of our state. thanks for that info. I wanted so many things I want to ask you about your, your school and your education as I'm technically challenged at my age now, I feel like AI is surpassing me, but we'll get to that in a minute. Colby Tucker, our other, our second guest. Hey, thank you for having me. My name is Colby Tucker. I am 29 years old. I'm originally from Waco, Texas. I went to school at Western Governors University for cybersecurity and I am a senior SOC analyst and my Blue Lodge is Lebanon Lodge 346 in Savage, Minnesota. Excellent. Thank you. And our third guest on our, shall we call it a panel today? Brother Kale Walsh. How you doing Reed? Uh, my name is Kale Walsh. Uh, I'm from Guam originally. I went to the school of hard knocks where I majored in, overworking myself, which I do for a living now. I, I, I'm a entrepreneur. I own three restaurants and, uh, my blue lodge is good old number 19 in the heart of Uptown Minneapolis. Thank you all for being here. And I know you've taken time off of work and, uh, Carved out some time for us to have this conversation today and from the perspective of perhaps a new member, new ish member, somebody who's thinking about contemplating, joining a lodge, becoming a part of the Masonic family, I would love to get more perspective from all of you on maybe first the easiest place to start is what was the catalyst, Jake, let's start with you, that caused you to pursue joining and wanting to be a Freemason? Well, I think one of the bigger catalysts would be I just really wanted a group of like minded people that wanted to grow themselves spiritually and morally and keep that on a continuous path for their whole life. I also really enjoyed the educational aspects. I really like to study different historical mystical aspects and Being a Freemason that we really have that, kind of endless study that you can do. And that was a really big catalyst for me as well. You knew that was going to be an option of study and education, learning something new was a big push for you. For sure. Colby, how about yourself? what led you to press send on that submission form to learn more about Freemasons in Minnesota? Um, Yeah. really, I guess the main thing would be the brotherhood, really looking for a sense of community, sense of belonging, um, you know, a group of friends that I could trust and, potentially do good things with and, really just belong to something, you know, and meet others. Especially in this remote world that we're in now, you know. Well, and for you, you've relocated from Texas? Yes, sir. How long have you been in Minnesota? Oh, five years now. Okay. Yes, sir. So not brand new, but still that's a relatively new ish window, I would say. How different is the, the culture, the vibe of Minnesota from where you lived in Texas? The vibe in Minnesota is definitely a lot, uh, a lot nicer. It's a lot more relaxed, a little slower pace, I would say, um, which is definitely a nice, uh, a nice change. You feel welcome. That's the yeah, yeah, absolutely. There's this, uh, we all fancy ourselves to say it's Minnesota. Nice. But I know many friends who have moved here from a different place who classified that as Minnesota ice, because if you're not from here, sometimes there's a little bit of suspicion of, well, you don't have family roots that date back years and years on the wherever part of the state. And I never, that had not occurred to me before. I thought, well, we're all. We're all cool and chill and friendly and welcoming here, but It can be a little intimidating coming from a different place. Yeah. And, and I, I can definitely agree with that. I would say, you know, folks could be a little bit more reserved here. Um, you know, they're like in Texas, everybody's kind of eager to, uh, talk to you, see how you are, but it's maybe not so genuine. So I feel like the interactions I've gotten up here have been more genuine, but, uh, you're right. I could say that it is a, People are a little bit more reserved. You know, you are kind of like an outsider, but you're not unwelcomed. You're definitely welcomed. And, uh, you know, people have been very nice, very helpful. Okay. How about for you, sir? It's just something I always wanted for myself. Our investor in our business was a Freemason. And he was just such a good man. I mean, he believed in our dream when no one else did. And he was sort of like a grandfather figure to my sister and I, when we were starting our business. And, ever since then I'd always wanted to be a Freemason, but I thought that, You know, someone in a cloak would pull me into an alley and ask me, like, Are you ready to join the Brotherhood? I didn't know that I had to be the one to reach out, I think there's still this perception that Nicholas Cage is going to bust through the door with the constitution under his arm, or that some pile of Illuminati money is waiting. And if anybody, I tell them to say this line frequently, if you think that the Masonic experience is going to be any of what I just mentioned, you're going to be wildly disappointed in the reality is we are a group of like minded men and brothers, friends who. Embrace a lot of timeless core values, but still maintain our own unique identity. We are dedicated to becoming a better version of ourselves through a number of different philosophies, teachings, community engagement tool. And people hear me on this podcast and in area conferences all the time, new members are joining because they're number one, seeking connection, that meaningful friendship, authentic brotherhood. I'd love to hear more about something maybe you weren't anticipating Jake, is there anything for you as you were going through the process at, at Corinthian and you're an officer lodge officer now in an appointed position and. You're pretty active, but was there anything along the way that you stopped and said, wow, I wasn't anticipating that too. Be a thing in my lodge experience. For sure. Yeah. Uh, when I initially joined, I really was just, like I said before, I was really looking for. a group of people that I could talk to about just like minded things, spirituality, moral growth, leadership qualities, and I really didn't think it would be as deep of a connection that I've created with the brothers of my lodge. And, like, they've become some of my best friends now. My assigned mentor has really become one of my best friends, and that deep connection was something I wasn't quite anticipating off the start. Well, that's great to hear. And we often say that this is a lifelong journey mentoring is equal to relationship building. And to hear that that's still an ongoing thing that is, that could be from now for the rest of your life, right? Tell me more about that commitment of wanting to be. a better version of yourself, wanting to be the change in the world. How do you see that manifesting itself in maybe some small actions throughout your daily life? One of the things that, one of the kind of examples I was thinking of is every morning I would go and go into work, and let's say I stop at the gas station. Mm hmm. As I'm walking in the gas station, there's somebody that's following close behind me. I decide to smile, open the door for them, go in, get my coffee, approach the cashier. smile, be nice to them as, as I'm exiting the building, if there's another person behind me, open the door for them, smile. It's really just those small actions, I think, that can help kickstart someone's day and have that big of an impact. let's say those three people were subconsciously inspired by what I did and decided to do that to three more people. That's already thirteen people that could be affected just in that three minute, typically overlooked, kind of task that everyone does in the day. Can you see a face lighting up? Can you see somebody that looks grateful or appreciative of that small gesture? Certainly, yeah. Yeah, certainly. And that's really what it's all about, trying to spread that positivity, happiness, and uplifting people's mood and spirit, so. How often do we underestimate the power of such a, what seems like an inconsequential act too, of holding the door, a smile, a compliment, as we go past the majority of people in our lives with their face in their device. They're not even looking around, they're not even thinking about holding the door sometimes it feels like life is passing us by as we are so stuck with a nose in a device and just thinking so quickly, got to get where I'm going fast and missing out on that interaction of life. Colby, what are your thoughts on this? Yeah, I definitely agree. I think the thing is to especially, you know, kind of, uh, post COVID, you know, everybody's kind of remote, everybody's, you know, uh, becoming a little bit more, uh, self isolated, um, you know, and, and, and also with their devices as well, going out in the public, um, most individuals are on their phone. so really just kind of, you know, putting that down, taking a break and, you know, uh, looking to improve someone's day. and like you mentioned, it's the little things, you know, the smiles, the opening the doors, you know, how's your day going? somebody could be having a bad day and that very well could be the thing that tips the scales. For sure. Yeah. Thanks for sharing that, Colby. I think that sometimes we, in any part of our lives at work, in a fraternal organization, in any other volunteer or civic group that we're in, we may lose sight of some of those real simple things being that person. positive force for somebody, even in the, just the most slightest way. Cale, how'd you like to weigh in on that? for me, the, the experience was, it was magical and not in the way that I expected it. The Magic was just a sort of brotherhood that I didn't know existed. Like, when I was, approaching my entered apprentice degree, I was going through probably the worst time of my life. you handed me a book of Stoic philosophy that didn't exist. told me to stop crying, get myself together and get on with my life. And the magic was the change that happened within myself. Just reading words, you know, it's not, it's not what I thought it was, but it was probably even better. when we met for the first time and having no idea what struggle you may have been going through at the time, Everybody's got a battle going on. We have no idea what it might be, but to not be oblivious to that. I look back on our interaction on that and I felt that was very powerful that making that suggestion of here, here's some. Writings from some sage, smart minds of years gone by that are still very relevant in today's world was impactful on you. And that was a case for me personally, underestimating the power of saying, Hey, this worked for me when I was dealing with something or in the depths. And I read a lot of the, the stoicism on a daily basis is just a little uplift for, for each day. And, and. when that came full circle. That was, that was very special really plays into the connection piece and the, the friendship and the authentic brotherhood sometimes in our organization, I think in any organization, whether it's a house of worship, a fraternal organization, we get a little bit preoccupied with the administrative side of things, the, the onboarding of it. Well, here's what you need to do to join and then to go through the process and then In our case, we have the proficiency. You have some things you have to memorize. we've really been seeing some powerful impact at lodges where they're slowing down that process and really committing those words. They're not only memorizing them, but they're putting them, they're memorizing them in a place more from their heart first. And that's where I'm curious on your thoughts as to how that has impacted you guys in being new and feeling that connection, that brotherhood, the deep, meaningful friendship factor, Colby, what are your, what's your take on that? the Brotherhood has been amazing. Um, it truly has, with this organization, um, you get to sit down with people from all walks of life and background, education, uh, you know, backgrounds, relationship statuses, age. It's, it's truly incredible. and any one of them you could talk to about anything, you know, get advice, um, you know, ask for assistance. getting to know everyone is, has truly been incredible. Um, it really has. I mean, it, it, it really is a family. What's your favorite parts of the Masonic journey so far? When, how long have you been a Mason, by the way? Uh, it'll be a year in December. Okay. really the degree work. Um, there, there's something beautiful and magical about it. It, it truly is an incredible experience. there's so much to learn. Yeah. even if you go through it just once, you, you still won't scratch the surface. There's so much involved and there's so many little details that it's just such an amazing experience. It truly is. It's, it's mine. It's mind boggling. As you were going through the degrees and experiencing that, what was going through your head? excitement, uh, you know, a little anxiety, you know, cause it's something new. You don't really know what to expect. It's, but really just, just joy, just gratification because, you know, at the end of the day, all the brothers who helped put that on, you know, they work really hard for that. They take time out of their day, for you and, and that truly is something special. So as Masons, we say that the tenets of our profession are brotherly love, relief, and truth. And for a non Mason listening, that basically means our core values, the tenets of our profession. Brotherly love means friendship, that connection. And relief, providing relief to those in need, providing resources to someone, whatever that might look like. And truth speaks for itself, as I'd like to say. But Jake, tell us your thoughts on that, capturing the essence of that friendship, the brotherly love factor. Yeah. Like I've said before on my initial entrance to the lodge, I really wasn't expecting it to be as a wholesome experience as it became, I think that from being treated with such that brotherly love and kindness and appreciation, and the people being happy that you're there. I think it really helped me express that to the public, and not just to the brothers in my lodge, but from the brothers in my lodge treating me that way, and in turn me treating them that way, really helped me express that to the public, and really spread that light of kindness and lovingness to everybody. And that's what I wanted to ask you more about. Was it a kindness factor? Was it support? Did you feel as though these are guys that I can count on in life? I can go to with a question or an opinion or maybe you have a challenge and you really don't know the answer. Exactly that. Right. Just really people that I can, I know that I can count on and they know that they can count on me as well. from my entrance into the lodge. I've just been treated with such kindness and respect. And that was something that really is stuck with me and really transform me and has helped me become a better person. Continuously how much of a cause and effect. Do you think that is when you're treated a certain way? And in this case, you're supported. You're lifted up. You're have that assurance of that support network behind you. How motivating is that for you then to do that? What does it mean to spread that yourself to someone else? Well, I think it really just changes your entire outlook whenever you're in that much more of a positive state, and it makes things a lot easier to spread that positivity to everybody else. When traditionally the Masonic Lodge was intended to be a men's support system. And I like to call it the original social network. When you think back 100 years that how did we meet? people. How did we, well, it was the civic organizations, churches, houses of worship, and that mindset of the collective good was so prominent. And obviously the world has changed, society has changed, but we're really seeing a resurgence of, and young men like you guys, that are seeking to connect again on a personal level, on an emotional level. And in that community engagement piece is, is really inspiring to see out there as we're transitioning away from prior generations that were focused on acquiring things and stuff. Well, and that was a byproduct of the depression generation As our priorities have ebb and flow in this world we've come back to what I'm seeing is what we've just described that real commitment to connect again to sure, we're going to use technology. Social media is not going away, but how refreshing is it kale to you to go to lodge and put your phone away and to connect with friends and brothers on a human to human heart to heart level? Well, it's wild going to lodge because it's. It operates the way that I, I wish that the world did a lot of the times. Like, we're not talking about politics. We're not talking about religion or the things that divide us. We're talking about the things we have in common, the, the things that, you know, we can encourage each other with. And it's just, it's all positive interaction. And it's just like a, like a wave of fresh water hits you, you know, it's like, I, this, this doesn't exist anywhere else in the world. It's beautiful. How much does that motivate you to attend Lodge when you, when your schedule allows Oh, it's hugely motivating because I, like going to Lodge, I see it as like the, like the little bowl of pennies that you see at the gas station, you know, sometimes you need to take one, but sometimes you got pennies to give and I feel that, sometimes I go to the Lodge with. a problem that I need help with or advice. And sometimes I'm, I'm just there to provide that for others, but either way, you know, we all benefit, um, the rising tide raises all ships. And that's what, that's what the lodge feels like. We're all working to build each other up. I still find you hit on something that I think about frequently, that our organization is Freemasons. We have not, um, We haven't discussed religion or politics in a divisive or argumentative way for hundreds of years. And many years ago, I'm going to date myself. You guys make me feel old, but that's fine. I joined my lodge 30 years ago, and it's hard to believe how fast that has gone. And even back then, that was before, how old does this make me sound? It was before the internet. I wasn't walking to school barefoot, but even then I remember feeling, wow, this is really refreshing that we're not. We're not leading off with that. We're not focused on those topics. And while our members still maintain their beliefs and their convictions, man, that's a great place to go to just, meet people and get to know them void of those topics that are so inflammatory right now. Also, I think that we are misunderstood as an organization and we, we joked about it earlier in this recording about how, well, what's the initiation going to be like? What are these ceremonies like? This is really an experience of learning about ourselves and Looking at a lot of different philosophies and the way that our teachings are written is about self reflection. It's providing our members ideally with not the solution to your problems or to the challenges of life, but the tools in which you could implement to be that better version of yourself, or to be the positive change in each of our little corner of the world. Colby. I'm curious to know what is your favorite part of attending Lodge at Lebanon. Yeah, I would say my my favorite part is is the connection. whether that be just going, you know, for dinner and just hanging out and talking or whether that be. for degree work or, um, just regular state of meetings, just being able to surround yourself, with people who genuinely care, um, you know, being able to talk about your life, your family, you know, their life, their family, and having to, you know, being able to have those honest discussions about everyday life. so really I would say just the connection with the brothers. I mean, that's kind of the number one thing for me. What would you tell someone who is considering joining, well any organization for that matter, but specifically Freemasonry, if they're uncertain about whether or not to pursue, how has this enriched your life? What would you tell that person? not too long ago I was in the same boat. Um, so I spent probably, I don't know, five, six months, uh, looking into Freemasonry before actually making the decision to, reach out to the Grand Lodge. if it's something that you're really thinking about, um, you know, life's too short, get, get in touch with, uh, one of the lodges, get in touch with the Grand Lodge, give it an opportunity. It truly is an amazing thing. You're going to get life, lifelong friends. You're going to get an opportunity for leadership. practice public speaking, to be able to self reflect and, and work on yourself, Thanks for sharing that. And something that comes up frequently in conversation is that, well, there's so many organizations out there. Well, which one should I join? Well, it depends on what someone's looking for too. I talked to some gentlemen on a regular basis that may be solely and specifically looking only for business networking opportunities or only solely specifically for community engagement. And there are perhaps other organizations out there that would serve that one main focus. but for the Freemasonry is, you guys have really shared some great perspective on the connection piece. we're in the relationship business and We are here to join one another on the rollercoaster of life, the highs and the lows and everything in between. When there's time to celebrate, we do that. Um, I think that when something tough happens, illness, loss could be a number of different things. We're ideally there for each other in that respect as well. And Jake, you shared some tremendous. It's very impactful and powerful feedback on what your experience has been like at Corinthian Lodge for us. Also, the education piece that we're here to, uh, Um, I think it's important for us to keep learning and evolve and not just go on autopilot, and that happens as we get older. Well, maybe I've read all the books. I've done all those things. then we just sort of stall out that the Masonic experience is meant to be one of curiosity to keep evolving and growing and learning and being open to new things We are here, or one of the core values of Freemasonry is that relief or that giving back in a meaningful way. So really those are the three main components of what we set out to do in the world. There's so much more to it, obviously, that's why there's so many websites and there's an excessive amount of information out there, but we're trying to distill this down into a more, perhaps, relatable perspective. Kale, what would you say surprised you through this experience? Was there something that you weren't anticipating that came to mind? It was a, it was an interesting experience for me going through the degrees because to Like we touched on earlier, in a lot of ways, my life kind of mirrored the progression of, an apprentice working his way up, you know, learning the craft and eventually becoming a master Mason because I, when I entered the inner apprentice degree, I was literally penniless. I from that place of humility, I was really able to, you know, receive the, the message of the degree. And it just, it was weird. It just kept happening that way. Like fellow craft, you know, I started to get my bearings a little bit more in this, this, this new life. And, it sort of grew with me and I, everything that I put into masonry, I, I got back out tenfold. I appreciate you sharing that and illustrating that is a reminder that this is a lifelong journey. This is not, we are not an organization where you go through the steps of the initiation portion and then it's done. That's really the. This is meant to be a lifelong journey of evolving. As each of us individually, but collectively as a group and doing whatever we can to provide. Comfort, relief, support to our friends, our brothers and our community. It's quite a powerful thing. I can't imagine life without having been on this journey and I wish all three of you a very. enjoyable and prosperous journey is this is very early on in your masonic starting point Jake, I'd like you to have the last word today? What would you tell someone considering joining, taking that next step? But. not sure about whether or not they might pursue. If you're looking for a new group of friends who are going to help you push you to become a better man every day. And if you, if charity is important to you and spreading the wellbeing to all of humanity and if you want to be in an area where you won't be by any means persecuted against by your different religious beliefs or socioeconomic beliefs and you will be treated just as the individual man that you are, I think that Freemasonry is really the place to be. want to thank Jake Reimer, Colby Tucker, and Kale Walsh for being my guest today. It's been fascinating hearing your perspective as you're relatively new in this journey. And I look forward to seeing all of you sooner than later at some sort of Masonic function, but thanks again for being guests today on Minnesota Masonic histories and mysteries.