I remember, as a boy, looking up into the sky, fresh after a summer rain, and seeing a magnificent rainbow. It looked like a mystical ladder to heaven, a wonderful thing to behold. 

Not so long ago, Freemasonic lodges in nations such as the United States and Canada were teaming with members. Today, most are suffering the same fate as those of other fraternities such as the Odd Fellows, the Elks, and the Moose Hall — aging memberships and declining numbers. 

When I was a teenager, I thought nobody was cooler than Hugh Hefner. He was rich. He was famous. He hosted hip celebrity parties. He was a sharp dresser, was articulate, had a great sense of humour, and was tall, dark and handsome.