Theos-Talk Archives (February 1998 Message tt00263)

In a message dated 98-02-20 14:59:15 EST, Thoa writes:

<< You've been attending TS meetings for a year!  Well, then, you have more
 fortitude than I have.  We attended one meeting in San Francisco, and I
 felt like I was back in the Victorian era.  This is not to do a disservice
 to the people.  The people at the meeting were very nice.  I try to not
 judge people by their age, but I did notice that there is only one other
 young person at the meeting. >>

There are probably many whose experience of meetings is limited to those of
just one lodge.  Certainly one cannot evaluate the Society accurately on the
basis of attending meetings at just one, or even a few, lodges.  Our local
groups are quite varied -- due largely to their autonomous nature, and to the
idiosyncracies of the individuals who manage or otherwise strongly influence
local operations.  Of course, if one lodge is all that can be realistically
visited, it will have an enormous and inevitable impact on the impressions
that the visitor takes away.

If possible, attendance at regional or national events can do much to balance
one's perceptions.  Otherwise, it will be very difficult to gain clarity and
insight into the larger workings of the Society.

--- Nathan Greer