> What does being a mason mean anyhow?

The Masons are a fraternal order of men who self-select based on character, a belief in a supreme being, integrity, and charity.

> What benifits does it entail?

A group of men upon whom you might call for assistance if you need assistance or contacts, and with introductions, this benefit might help around the world.

> anything from some sorta charity organization

Masons are highly involved in charitable works, but in low-key ways. Freemasons don't tend to brag about their charities in the media, but they're out there. Just enter "Masonic charities" in any search engine and you'll see.

A more public appendant body of Freemasonry is the Shriners, which is sort of like the "party brotherhood" attached to Freemasonry. A Shriner has to be a Master Mason before being allowed to apply to be a Shriner. Shriner's hospitals for children are well known for not charging those who need their services.

Much of Masonic charity is done quietly and without "look at how good we are!" fanfare.

> a shadowy outfit that runs all the worlds goverments behind the scenes

Actual Freemasons laugh at these notions.

The reason why it seems as though there "sure are a lot of Freemasons high up in government and business" is that Masons tend to attract capable men, regardless of their station in life, job, religion, etc. There are only so many capable men in any generation, and when any club/group/fraternity appears over-represented in high-profile positions, people start thinking "oh, club/group XYZ controls the world."

As a Mason remarked once: "I'm still waiting for my phone number that controls the weather."

> to a satanic religion of some sort

That's really funny, considering that belief in a supreme being is one of the concrete, non-negotiable requirements of being a Freemason.

> Never knowingly met a mason up close and in the wild.

You probably have met several. They just didn't tell you they were Masons.