Do we live up to our Masonic Teachings?

Last few weeks have been quite distruptive to the usually programming schedule. Everything is back to normal. Well, there is a new normal, but I am back to the daily schedule.

I have been thinking about this quite a lot over the last several weeks and it leaves me to ask whether or not our membership are actually Masons in their hearts, mind and spirit or are we all just masons by membership & appearance. What I mean is, are too many of our members just masons for the superficial and material reasons, rather than what is deep within the core of our lessons, teachings and philosophy.

Freemasonry is supposed to be a way of life, it’s supposed to affect us in a way that re-shapes our rough minds into an elightened mind that is capable of appreciating and performing his duty to God and to Man. But, the more I take a step back and observe the behaviours and actions of many members, the more the exestential the problem.

Let me be clear, I fully acknowledge that we are not perfect, and that perfection is not something that can be achieved with human hands. Nor can this perfection be achived by the Craft itself, rather it’s only the Great Architect who is the more expert workman who can perfect us. But, to this extent, I question whether as Masons we are even looking at ourselves to re-shape us by removing those superflous knobs and excresences, or in fact, are too many of us just rendering over our imperfections with membership to Freemasonry, a position in a Lodge or a rank/office in Grand Lodge.

Here is what I have noticed:

There are the obvious scenarios which we come to the aid of our brother, like a medical situation at a masonic gathering. But let me argue for a moment, that in these scenarios it’s not actually a masonic principle to come to their aid, rather it’s a natural human response to do so for those we love and care for, that we have responsibility for them or it’s ingrained in the core of people who have medical expertise & experience.

Actually, it is a masonic principle because we are supposed to love and care for our fellow brothers. That’s why we are brothers, not friends, not colleagues. Yes, a Masonic Lodge is a “speculative” stone masonry company, but we don’t refer to each other as colleagues, we use brother because there is meant to be a deep family-type bond between us.

How about scenarios which are not as obvious as medical situation. When a brother is in distress, appears to be in distress or in a chaotic scenario? Do we actually step up to the standard that our ceremonies call for? From my obversations we don’t. I have seen to many masons consumed by their own needs and dare I say it, selfishness. There are two ways this manifests in members. The first is they are just oblivious and caught up in their own importance of the situation, the second is they are “aware” of it, but idly stand by and judge from afar the situation. When I say “aware”, what I mean is, they can recognise something is wrong, but it either doesn’t conscious hit that there is a brother who needs relief, or they acknowledge there is a brother who needs releif but actively choose not to take action. In all three of these, they fall short of Masonry.

The whole point of the north east charge, is supposed to teach us that even when we have nothing to give, we are still to give and to help however we can, we aren’t to be selfish at all, we are to be abundant in our giving and support to all brethren in need.

As for Master Masons, there is a specific set of behaviours and actions we must adhere to. These actions for Master Masons are supposed to carry weight and have a significant meaning because of that deep to the core experience of the third degree.

What I have also seen is that there brethren who will identify a situation, they go a step further than those who are either obliviuous to it or ignored it, and these brethren will offer assistance. But do they do so out of genuine care for the other, I am not so sure. If the offer is declined, they can wash their hands and say, well they did offer to help. At first, this may see to be an acceptable level of masonic behviour, but it still falls short of actually living up to the ceremonies. Offering support, absolves them of any responsibility for the care of their brother, it gives them a clear conscious, while putting the honus back onto the brother in the situation. You could say there is a little more adherence to our principles than the previous scenarios, although I think it is equally as bad because it is used to absolve the masonic duty we are called to.

Another thing I also have observed is there are those who do put their hand up, who do help, but only until it gets tough or challenging. They are there for when supporting or helping a brother is easy. It’s better than any other behaviour I have mentioned and it goes a long way, but let’s remember we are supposed to “traverse through difficulties and dangers” for our brothers. This means when it’s hard and difficult, we are supposed to face it with them. It’s why the bond between people when they have faced an adverse situation together is always stronger and deeper.

But, despite all of this, there is hope.

Now, to be fair, what picture I have painted so far, doesn’t seem so good for Masonry. That is the point, because I have observed that 99% of our members fall into one of the above. There is the 1% though who do give me hope, who are Masons in their hearts, mind and soul.

There are brethren who when seeing a brother in distress or who see a situation, they step up. But they step up silently. They get into the mess and dig in. They face whatever comes at them, however it comes at them. These brethren face these difficulties and dangers, they support in times of hardship and distress, and they do it in a way that everyone else is oblvious to the releif they provide, even the brother in distress may not realise it either at the time or in the future. They do it indisriminitely and they just get on with providing releif however they can.

This is true Freemasonry and these brethren are true and proper masons. Yet despite how the situation plays out, they will do it again for their brother and for their craft. But here is what makes these brethren tue Masons:

They don’t do it for the recognition, the honours or the acknowledgment, they do it because it’s part of who they are as a Man and as a Mason.

I am not going to ask which are you, a Member or a Mason. This is not something we can say, it’s something that our actions speak for. But the lesson is, be the Mason our ceremonies calls you to be, live up to the lessons & principles of the Craft that are taught through our ceremonies.