|
¤ What Do Masons Do? |
|
|
|
I was reading some comments from a famous author, not too long ago, that seemed to have a lot of relativity to what we are currently experiencing with the young folks. Let me see if I can't paraphrase him a bit: "Our people now live in luxury. They have bad manners and contempt for authority. They show disrespect for others and love idle chatter in place of healthy mental exercise. Our children are now animals, not the servants of our households. They no longer rise when their elders enter the room. They contradict their parents and tyrannize their teachers." How true. Recently,my work brought me to a new environment. I took my eight year old daughter and three year old son from a location that offered schooling that was safe, healthy and inspiring to a new location where the folks who were to be responsible for their education did little to inspire or promote free thought. Their hands were full satisfying the criteria from the school board that they lost sight of developing the necessary skills for my children to succeed. Instead my children, who have a stable and structured home-life, were thrust into a situation where they became the role models and trainers, not the students of learning. Why? Because other parents gave little thought to raising their children. They assume that "the system" is responsible for welfare and upbringing and that the world owes their children a life, with or without the parent's commitment.But, those who they leave in charge of this direction are engaged in serving a wide spectrum of other interests which seldom includes basic respect for others or the age-old noble tenets and truths which are so essentially necessary if we hope to improve on our modern situations. If you haven't guessed, my wife and I approached this disparaging situation by removing our daughter and son from the school and began teaching them at home. How do you do that? It isn't hard. There are many Home schooling programs available. Just verify that their curriculum is "certified". Examine them to see the curriculum suits your children's needs and lifestyle. Enroll them and present the curriculum to your local School Board for approval. Once " o.k.'d" you're all set. Just do the work. What are the benefits? Tailoring your child's education to their interests allows them to move more quickly and with greater detail than subjecting them to an environment which is forced to move as slowly as the most emotionally distressed pupil. The draw back's? Your child may not have the opportunity to associate with the great variety of mankind which is just as important to functioning with success in the careers of the future as their basic education. It's a tough choice. No matter what avenue you choose to educate your child, intense personal commitment will provide them with the tools that they will need to have a happy and fulfilling life. They need you to tell them, daily, what you believe is right and wrong. They may not accept your standards as their own when they are older, but it won't be because you failed to instruct them when they had their greatest potential to learn. So, what does all this have to do with the institution of Free-masonry? Freemasonry is an organization that promotes the basic moral truths of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth through the use of allegory and the builder's tools. In other words, the ceremonies give noble examples to remind an individual of those concepts that give strength and direction to an otherwise chaotic life. It inspires free thought and a reliance on spirit. No matter what educational background was available to a man, it will inspire him to continue the quest for knowledge and become a more rounded and respectable member of his community. It will also involve him positively with others who he would otherwise never come in contact. Through these liaisons, he will learn to respect others as develop pride in his own character. These are high and exceptional aims for anyone. As a Mason, I am proud to say that the legacy of the fraternity is one that often includes the most accomplished men in our collective history. It is evident the world over, nd their good work stays with us and benefits our society in the most positive manner imaginable. In America, the record includes Presidents, from George Washington and John Adams, to Harry Truman and Gerald Ford. Military victors from Commodore Perry to General Pershing, to public figures as varied as Mel Tillis and Burl Ives. A complete list would be voluminous in length. I would wager that if queried, each famous Mason would answer that they found something in the organization that inspired them to seek further light within themselves and that their Masonic experiences are useful and joyful to them all the time. So, What do Mason's do? They work everyday at improving themselves and the world around them. Why do they do that? Because it is what living and learning is about, and what makes men a positive influence for humanity. Who was the author that I paraphrased in the beginning? It was Socrates, who wrote that comment some 2500 years ago. So, we gather that people haven't really changed much in all that time. What was a significant issue with the children in Ancient Greece is still a challenge in the world today. Shouldn't we applaud an organization, such as the Masonic Fraternity, for striving to make men more responsible where other more public institution are destined to fail? Where would be today if this noble organization was as available in Socrates time as it is today? The possibilities for advancement of the human condition are astounding. |