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by: R.W.Bro. Vic Lewis
Published on: 2005-09-27 |
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Some Brothers have requested that I post this excerpt from the October 2005 Burns Lodge notice. Keep an open mind Brothers.
Past Masters' Musings
Hello again Brothers. Once again the Master and Secretary have told me that there is space to fill up in the Burns Notice. They both know that I really welcome the chance to harangue my Brothers about things Masonic so I jump at that opportunity. Nothing bothers me more than a lodge notice filled up with maudlin bits of Masonic poetry. That is not communication
This little epistle deals with my own continuing education about Masonry in our jurisdiction.
I have been lucky enough to be appointed DDGM of Halifax City District #1, and one of the duties I get to perform is to sit on the Board of General Purposes, not as an observer, which has been my wont, but as an actual voting member.
I'll tell you Brothers, that little change in role certainly changes your perspective on things.
I was not prepared for the waterfall of paper that goes along with being DDGM. It has led me to a few truisms about Masonry and Masons:
Truism #1: Masons hate trees and try to dispose of as many of them as possible.
Man, the amount of paper coming from the Grand Lodge Office has forced me to change my filing system. It used to be pretty simple:
Put the stuff on Pile #1; when that gets too big, move it to pile #3, then to Pile #4 then into file #13 after a suitable waiting period.
Now I have had to introduce a new step as #4. That one becomes: Take it to the Board of General Purposes; Step #5 becomes Bring it home, then into file #13.
All joking aside now Brothers… My observations at the Board of General Purposes have led me to:
Truism #2: Most Masons do not read what you send them.
That goes for Lodge Notices, packages from the Grand Secretary, Constitutions, Bylaws and sometimes even Ritual.
But, it does not stop some of those Masons from making eloquent diatribes on the contents of the papers they didn't read, or on the comments of Brothers who have actually read the papers.
That leads me to:
Truism #3: Most Masons hear only what they want to hear, except when listening to themselves.
People in general, Masons included, come to an argument with pre-conceived notions of what is right and proper. Their observances are based on their own feelings and preferences and their first reaction to an argument is to justify their own position, rather than judging them dispassionately.
Masons must rise above those Truisms.
It brings to mind the Old Hallmark ad…'When you care enough to send the very best…' and so on.
Our Brothers deserve the very best we have to give them. Whether we agree with them or not, it should be our Masonic duty to give them that due consideration we ourselves expect to be given.
Our responses should be based only on what is 'For the Good of the Craft' and not on what is good for the individual.
We should listen intently, consider judiciously and respond kindly but passionately. Yep Brothers, I said passionately. We Masons listen to our rituals and often miss the point. We forget that allegory is not necessarily to be taken in a literal sense. For me, 'subdue the passions' does not mean be a whimp, behave like a piece of wallpaper and try not to offend anyone. It means obey the law of the land, subdue those instinctive remnants of our animal past, which make individuals put themselves above all others and use the lessons of our Working Tools to do it.
I am often asked if I am an elitist. Well Brothers, when it comes to Masonry, I most certainly am! Masonry is not the kind of society we normally associate with a service club. It is not the kind of society we normally associate with self-help groups. I suppose Madison Avenue truisms like 'Making Good Men Better' have contributed to that one.
Our true goal is a deeper one. The mere fact that we draw on the knowledge generated from all eras of civilization from the time men first dreamed of God gives us a responsibility far beyond that of a service club or a self-help group.
Oops, I'd better stop here. I almost let the cat out of the bag and told what I think Masonry isJ Maybe one day I will, but I can guarantee you that I wont unless you tell me what you think it is first. You don't have to tell me in words Brothers; you have to tell me by your actions. You have to tell me by how you live the Ritual, not how you read or deliver it.
Sincerely and Fraternally,
Bro. Vic Lewis
PM, Burns Lodge#10
DDGM, Halifax City District #1
vlewis@grandlodgens.org
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