sidneybear

A bit off topic that. You might want to start a bikers thread.

Some people use lodges as a drinking club, despite being told that conviviality is only one aspect of Masonry. This is in common with other groups where blokes get together - there are those who just want the social element, because they're lonely perhaps, and there are a subset whose interest lies in whatever is supposed to be the purpose of the group. Yacht clubs, for example, have lots of people who can't sail and just prop up the bar - they pay their dues, support the club's finances and are liked, so all is good.

Bikers too. Most men yearn for some kind of brotherhood. It's ancient and instinctive.

I'm a paid up member of a lodge, so I can visit other lodges whenever I like, anywhere in the world. As a courtesy, I should tell them I'm coming so they can arrange catering and things like that, and I'll also have to present my credentials on arrival. There is no need to be invited.

I've been told that Lodge Morakot - an Irish Lodge - might suit me. One day I'll give it a try. I do have Irish ancestry after all.

Chula is one of the more upmarket Lodges - they meet in the Sukhothai Hotel, with lots of feasting and drinking. I too went there once, but it wasn't really my thing. Hard to explain why, other than every Lodge has its own "Egregore" - the collective consciousness of its members if you like. Personality is another way of describing it. Some you feel at home with, others not so much.

People study all sorts of strange things. Maybe some courses in African studies involve exchanges and that kind of thing.

The best Lodge in Thailand (IMHO) was Star in the East, an English-speaking Lodge under the (French) GLNF. The (late) Worshipful Master was an incredibly clever man, and the meetings were very spiritual and full of meaning. Sadly, it closed itself down many years back - the authorities suspected that it was sympathetic to a certain political party, which wasn't the case, even though one of its Thai members was high up in that said party. People started getting harassed and wanted no part of it.

Masks look better on some people than on others.

That's true these days, but people have always been predicting that Thailand's economy is doomed, but it soldiers on.

That's a rather infantile response. By that I mean you haven't actually said anything at all beyond childish slurs. Can't you do better?

Oh dear, is that the best you can do? Anyone who disagrees with you is surely a bot, because your viewpoint must be the only valid one. Should debating forums be closed down?

Masks are a rather unpleasant sight though, especially when worn by cuties.

Cue the 'But Thailand is going to hell in a handcart' brigades.

Biden will probably order an evacuation from Bhutan instead of Sudan.

Just remove them. It's not worth making a drama about.

I'm one, albeit a lapsed one, as I still pay my dues to a Thailand based Lodge but seldom go to meetings. All these people who say that there's something sinister about it make me laugh. Masonry to most people is simply a system by which you can aspire to living a decent life. Of course there are people who may have ulterior motives, or who play politics, but you'll find those in any group or society

I get where you're coming from but both are important and can coexist.

Indeed. If we listened to all these 'experts', we'd want to die sooner anyway.

I'd say China. The days of admiration for the West are gone. Thailand sees China as a rising star, and the US as a fading one. Add to this the fact that Thais, Asians, and most of the non-Anglophone world, are socially conservative: Many consider modern Western culture to be repulsive, and have no wish to emulate it.

Using ad hominem slurs like 'CCP troll' is intellectually lazy. You might sound more compelling if you bothered to participate in the debate.

Seems Thailand is looking to join BRICS too. Sign of the times. https://www.silkroadbriefing.com/news/2022/11/09/the-new-candidate-countries-for-brics-expansion/

Diplomacy does involve some of that, yes. But it's a lot better than starting wars with all and sundry, like the US is so fond of doing.

Chinese may actually make a lot more sense, which will happen after a polite and diplomatic pause, as the reality of the US' foreign wars all ending in adject defeat and humiliation finally sinks in. Like it or lump it, the US is a spent force, and China is poised to take over the entire region.

Sydney northern beaches: 5