Thursday, September 21, 2006

Are they or aren't they?

You know somebody has lost the plot when there are General Grand Chapter resolutions starting with:

"Change Landmark #5 to read...."

It doesn't matter what they're proposing to change it to. The point is, it's a Landmark. Landmarks are meant to be the very definitions of our Order and they are supposed to be unchangeable.

In a practical sense, we've already changed this particular Landmark so many times over the years that protecting it now would definitely be silly. I'm also not convinced that identity- and relationship-based qualifications for membership should ever have been Landmarks (are you listening, UGLE?).

But when we're cavalier with our Landmarks it isn't really a surprise that we don't know who we are, or why, any more.

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