Quote:
Originally posted by Prince
A long shot, but... I am wondering if and what organizations there might be in the States for men, I guess what I mean is something similar to college fraternities, but aimed at mature individuals and not just about alcohol consumption. I often feel the desire to be part of something, a closed circle of sorts, in which I am not judged by how much money I make, but through my character and abilities.
Nothing associated with Scientology, though, or organized crime. I'm looking for brotherhood, something with meaning, not something that means 12 years to life.
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I know groups that meet your criteria, but they're all local. For example, I joined a men's only yoga class through the local parks and recreation department, and found out that nearly everybody in the class knew each other and hung out afterwards. I did, too, and it turned into a weekly club which still, five years later, meets weekly for dinner, talk, and yes, yoga. We do things together sometimes -- a movie, a trip, once we even went to Costa Rica together. A lot of the guys are former 12-step people or graduates of various new-age or men's spirituality programs, and a lot of them belong to other local groups that cover men's spirituality -- not religion, so much, as just talking about different ways of getting along in life. So assuming that you are more of the talk-about-the-big-issues side rather than the let's-party-down side, looking up a men's group with some kind of spirituality angle might get you something like what you're looking forl.
Most of the traditional lodges are somewhat about money and position. Rotary is the best of them, because they actually do good work for the community and don't booze it up too much, but it's actually the most business-consicous -- you have to be an independent businessman, corporate manager, or mid-level civil servant.