{"id":96997,"date":"2025-05-18T17:22:49","date_gmt":"2025-05-18T21:22:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/?p=96997"},"modified":"2026-05-08T05:42:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T09:42:03","slug":"exploring-traditions-meandering-around-the-grange-way-of-life-july-2017-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-3-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-3-2-2-3-3-2-3-2-2-2-2-2-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/?p=96997","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Traditions – May, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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When Tradition Evolves…<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist<\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n
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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

An interesting bit of Grange Trivia is that during our early days, there was much disagreement when members started using the term \u201cGranger\u201d to describe members. Opponents noted strongly that we are \u201cPatrons of Husbandry.\u201d The conservative position was that the term \u201cGrange\u201d applied to the building where those patrons meet. Fast forward some decades. During a recent meeting at our hall, a visitor asked what the \u201cP of H\u201d stood for in our logo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I just finished reading an excellent book called Brainscapes,<\/em><\/strong> written by Rebecca Schwarzlose. The sub-title, \u201cThe warped, wondrous maps written in your brain and how they guide you,\u201d doesn\u2019t quite do it justice. It\u2019s a fascinating look into the neuroscience of our brains. Science suggests that, in many ways, our brains have a mind of their own. (Yes, I\u2019m proud of that play on words.) As might be expected, there are some interesting observations regarding our brain\u2019s evolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last summer, when I learned to work with oxen, our instructor warned us that the first thing we\u2019d have to do was convince the team we weren\u2019t trying to kill them. Of course, he was explaining the avoidance of predators instinct remains firmly implanted in our oxen\u2019s brains. That\u2019s not a bad thing, but working with them requires an understanding of what and how they think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We could say the same of human beings. We benefit from an understanding of what and how we think. A goal of books like Brainscapes<\/em><\/strong>is to create self-awareness and understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Realizing that organizations are collections of human beings, we can broaden the term \u201cevolution\u201d to see how organizations change. Much like the biological term, those changes may be slow and triggered by environmental changes. Unlike biological evolution, the timeline is often much shorter. We went from being Patrons of Husbandry to being Grangers in 100+ years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That early debate ultimately ended quietly. In retrospect, we could understand the change as a response to the environment. It\u2019s much easier to say \u201cI\u2019m a Granger\u201d than to say \u201cI\u2019m a Patron of Husbandry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a larger sense, the debate continues. Consider, for example, the recent shift of officer titles. Those who favor \u201cpresident\u201d over \u201cmaster\u201d see this as \u201cevolution\u201d and a response to our changing social environment. Those who resist are concerned with what gets lost in the process. As is often the case, the odds are good that both sides are right and both sides are wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some would likely suggest that the Grange has evolved in a way that \u201cPatrons of Husbandry\u201d is no longer an accurate description. Yes, we are still \u201cpatrons\u201d \u2013 people who provide support. But are we still supporting husbandry? Merriam Webster defines the word as \u201cthe cultivation or production of plants or animals, or the control or judicious use of resources.\u201d So, while our focus on farming may be reduced, we are supporters of the \u201cjudicious use of resources.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy to forget that change is as much about what we keep as what we abandon. If we learn the lessons of the Degrees, we are still very much interested in agriculture. But we\u2019re not limited to elevating farmers. We also look to nature for the lessons it teaches us. In every sense of the words, we are Patrons of Husbandry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evolution happens gradually and often with a lack of critical thinking\u2014it\u2019s a reaction. Fortunately, humans have the ability to engage in higher levels of thinking. We can do more than react to changes in our environment and society. Perhaps unfortunately, society seems to be evolving at a rapid pace. (One interesting question Brainscapes<\/em><\/strong> raises is whether or not individuals are keeping pace with the evolution of society. Our brains are powerful organs, but not without limitations.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are rightly proud of the Grange\u2019s survival as an organization. Whether or not we continue to survive and prosper will largely depend on how we evolve. While it\u2019s important to adapt to our environment, it\u2019s more important that we do so consciously and deliberately. Let\u2019s not wake up some morning and discover we\u2019ve lost what got us here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-seventh edition of the 2023 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions\u2014Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at <\/em>http:\/\/abbotvillagepress.com<\/em><\/a>,<\/em> on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page<\/a>, or by contacting the author.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life When Tradition Evolves… By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist An interesting bit of Grange Trivia is that during our early days, there was much disagreement when members started using the term \u201cGranger\u201d to describe members. Opponents noted strongly that we are \u201cPatrons of Husbandry.\u201d The conservative position was that … Continue reading “Exploring Traditions – May, 2025”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2122,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[190],"tags":[34,176,25],"post_folder":[365],"class_list":["post-96997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-grange-principle-and-practice","tag-grange-activities","tag-grange-degrees","tag-grange-heritage"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"post-thumbnail":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Walter Boomsma","author_link":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/?author=2122"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life When Tradition Evolves… By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist An interesting bit of Grange Trivia is that during our early days, there was much disagreement when members started using the term \u201cGranger\u201d to describe members. Opponents noted strongly that we are \u201cPatrons of Husbandry.\u201d The conservative position was that…","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1arC1-pet","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2122"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=96997"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96997\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99346,"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96997\/revisions\/99346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=96997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=96997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=96997"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mainestategrange.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpost_folder&post=96997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}