David A. Burkus, 32°
74 Wellington Drive, Hampton, Virginia 23666–2855
vamason@home.com

As the new millennium begins, the world moves with ever more rapidly into the computer age. No matter where we turn or go, computers or electronic mechanisms are making our lives easier, but to many, they are also making life more complicated.

Telephones and the electronic circuitry that support computers have become so advanced that you can dial a number and within seconds begin talking to somebody in any part of the world. Why rush to the bank to get money, when you can just go to your nearest store and use the ATM machine? You can turn on the Weather Channel, and instead of seeing only updated local charts of the weather, you can now see panoramic views of the United States with wide-sweeping weather patterns. Or you can check out traffic on your television or computer. Ah yes, the computer, the one item that scares the most people.

Many Brethren have heard about computers, the Internet and electronic mail (E-mail), but feel intimidated due to their lack of knowledge about them. Many, who live on a fixed income cannot afford computers, make long distance telephone calls or get on the Internet, so they also avoid computers for economic reasons. Here is an idea I would like to toss at you for your consideration to help bring these Brethren into the computer age. How about getting a computer for your Lodge or Valley and having somebody available to teach the members how to use it? With some helpful instruction, even a novice would be very surprised to see how easy it is to use a computer.

If your Lodge or Valley were able to obtain a computer through various types of means (i.e., various donations, organizational purchase, or individual gift), you could hook it up to the Internet and make it available to all the Brethren. By having a Brother who is proficient in computers available to assist users, you might be able to make this newfangled device advantageous to the Brethren and of real benefit to the Lodge. If the Brethren start coming back to the Lodge to use the computer, they might start coming back to Lodge for the meetings and other events also. While they are at the Lodge, they might be inspired to impart some of their Masonic knowledge to younger members and assist with the teaching of the ritual or catechisms.

To assist in this project, many Internet companies (such as, to name just a few, Yahoo, Juno, Excite, Microsoft's Hotmail) offer free e-mail service to anybody who has the availability to retrieve and send it. Now those long-distant relatives and friends are more accessible and can be communicated with in a quick and cheap manner.

Having a computer available for the Brethren provides many services at no more cost than a keystroke. A doctor might prescribe a new medicine for a Brother or a family member. Now he can get on the Internet and find out more about the new medicine. Perhaps, a doctor tells a member he has "a newly diagnosed medical problem." Again, he can get on the Internet and check it out. Need a new recipe for dinner? Want to do some genealogy research into your family? Seeking some Masonic information or educational material? Yes, it all there on the Internet!

Are you going to visit your relatives in a distant state? What's the weather in their city? Do they have Masonic Lodges in the area you can visit while you are there? What are the cheapest air and train fares or best car routes? Check it all out on the Internet. Many of the Grand Lodges and Appendant Bodies have their own websites, such as (http://www.srmason-sj.org) for the Scottish Rite. Most of these can be found on the Masonic Service Association (MSA) of North America's website (http://www.msana.com). Many websites list Lodges with the times and dates they meet as well as directions or maps for getting there.

In the author's home state of Virginia, Kena Shrine Temple in Merrifield has a website (http://www.kena.org/hirams/file.htm), which offers over 5600 files on Masonic education and information. The Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, S.J., USA, as noted above, has a website as do the following and many more: Shrine of North America, Philalethes Society, Southern California Research Lodge, and International Order of DeMolay. Too numerous to list, all these websites provide Masonic information and education. One of special and curious interest is called "Anti-Freemasonry: Point of View" (http://www.masonicinfo.com). As they put it, "there's something here for anyone who has heard or read stories about the 'evils' of Masons and their organization and who wants to see what all the fuss is about. There's also information here to help Masons better understand why they might be criticized for their involvement. Finally, there's detailed information about Masonry for those seeking to understand the organization itself."

There are e-mail Masonic news providers, discussion groups, or other various types of ListServs you can join to help keep you informed. These ListServs are a great way to put out information on meeting changes, called communications, special fund raising events, and announcements about sickness and distress within our Craft.

The computer age is here, and Masons should take advantage of what it has to offer Masonry in the area of helping us to spread the word about our great Fraternity. Also, a computer is an easy way for any Lodge or Valley to retain the minutes for meetings, keep records, and provide a quick means of communication to the Brethren. Instead of sending out anywhere from 30 to 2000 items of postage, an e-mail message at virtually no cost would reach everybody almost instantly. The benefits from moving into the computer age will help our Craft and the Scottish Rite, if we are willing to make the effort to try it out.

David A. Burkus was the 1998 and 1999 Worshipful Master of Mariner Lodge No. 215 in Newport News, Va., and was named as one of the "Outstanding Worshipful Masters in 1999." He is a member of St. Johns R.A.C. No. 57, Alex M. Conner A.M.D. Council No. 201, and a member of the Scottish Rite Bodies of Newport News, where he is currently in-line in all four Bodies. Retired from the United States Navy in 1997 after serving 20 years onboard nuclear submarines, he is currently employed as a technical writer for AMSEC LLC. In his spare time, he likes to design Masonic websites.