As is often the case I'm reading one thing, it strikes a cord with something else, and my train of thought gets derailed onto another topic. In this case it's a phrase used in our initiatory process:
duly and truly prepared
When that moment of "lightning" struck I realized that I hadn't been looking at that phrase in a way that I probably should have been.
When it's heard it's typically after an individual has petitioned a Lodge, been vetted, voted on, and now stands before the door of the Lodge room properly attired for their next step.
Yup, he's duly and truly prepared right? Maybe not.
You see one of the primary aspects of Freemasonry is a willingness and a desire to improve oneself and those that knock on our door profess those desires. We then take them at their word and continue the process forward conducting them through the ceremonies of initiation to make them a Master Mason.
The trouble as I see it is that we typically haven't really looked at them from the perspective of their willingness to do the work. Are the up for the challenge? Are they ready to question themselves, possibly to their very core? Are they willing to listen and apply what the are about to experience and learn? When you undertake your journey into Freemasonry it isn't a road with shortcuts and easy paths. There's usually some serious work needing to be done and it's often painful as it can go against our natural tendencies and the behaviors that we've built up over our lifetime.
It's an aspect of not only the candidate but also ourselves that we often over look, and in fact, should be regularly be thinking on - are we duly and truly prepared to take the next step, are we ready to decide which path to take when the fork appears in the road?
Remember, Freemasonry is more than just meetings, paying the bills, and donating to charities, it's also about being duly and truly prepared for our own growth.
I think you would enjoy “Freemasonry as a Way of Awakening” by Rémi Boyer.