Who Do You Sit By in Lodge?

By: Wor. Jason E. Marshall

A few nights ago, Bro. Nathan Warren came over to my house, and as we sat on my porch smoking cigars, drinking scotch, and enjoying a nice cool fall evening, the conversation inevitably weaved itself in and around Freemasonry. During the conversation, Bro, Warren relayed how some people (non-Masons) were astounded that we can actually go to Lodge and sit next to people from almost any conceivable religion, race, or social background, and be totally comfortable around them. While this ability to "meet on the level" with one another is a hallmark of our fraternity, it is unfortunately not always put into practice, and even when it is, we too often take advantage of it by failing to truly get to know the people that we sit in Lodge with on a personal and intimate level.

As Bro. Chris Hodap has covered on his blog: Freemasons for Dummies, the Grand Lodges of Tennessee and Georgia have recently made moves to ban homosexuals from being Freemasons. This is most likely a misplaced knee-jerk reaction to the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling (Obergfell v. Hodges) that struck down gay marriage bans across the country, and held that marriage is a universal right regardless of one's sexual orientation. The moves by the Grand Lodges of Tennessee and Georgia are particularly disturbing, because the Lodge has long been a safe haven for those seeking a place of acceptance and enlightenment ideals. This is why our rituals contain admonishments that it is the internal and not the external qualifications that make a man fit to be a Freemason, and that no disharmony or contention should exist between brothers.

The Lodge is simply not a place that any strife over religion, race, or sexual orientation should exist. The Lodge should be place of harmony, reflection, and spiritual growth, and in order to accomplish that lofty and fundamental ideal, arbitrary divisions such as race, sexual orientation, or social background, should not get in the way of spreading the cement of brotherly love. Ever.

Most of the negative associations that people have about minorities, the LGBT community, and religions other than Christianity, come from a place of fear and ignorance. Fear is a natural human reaction and emotion to things that are unknown to us. It is what kept our ancient ancestors from being eaten by lions and tigers; however, ignorance driven fear morphs into fanaticism, and fanaticism gives way to tyranny. Ignorance, fanaticism, and tyranny are the antithesis of Freemasonry, and must never be allowed to take root in our hallowed halls.

For men that are supposed to be working on our international ashlars, fear has no place, especially fear that is borne out of ignorance. The only cure for ignorance is knowledge, and our fraternity is blessed to have a vast reserve of wise and diverse brethren within our ranks. In order to tap into this vast reserve of wisdom, we must first take the time to get to know our fellow brethren on a personal and intimate level, whether the individual brother is gay, straight, white, black, Hispanic, Christian, Non-christian... Any Brother. Only after spreading the cement of brotherly love and affection can we open the doors of our hearts so that we can truly learn from one another.

In order to truly meet on the level, we must be willing to actively practice the ideals that we espouse, and not close the doors to our hearts, or our Lodes, to those that don't fit into a neat homogeneous box. We must take the time to learn from our brothers, those who sit by us and Lodge, and those who sit in Lodge hundreds or thousands of miles away. Above all, we must be truly open-minded to new ideas and concepts. After all, having a unique and diverse membership is what has always made our fraternity great. Each of us holds aloft our own Light that we have gathered and nurtured on our own personal and spiritual journeys, and the more unique Lights that we can gather around us, the more illuminated the pathway for all craftsmen will become.

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When the Buzzards Go to Roost

BY: ROBERT G. DAVIS, 33*, GRAND CROSS

It’s only an opinion, of course, but buzzards seem to me to be an especially nasty species of bird. I don’t even like to give them the dignity of thinking they are birds. They never really fly, they’re only half-dressed, and they have no apparent means of employment. They just sit around with their necks hanging down between their pointed shoulders, knees bent, buttocks tucked in—in kind of a semi-fetal, perpetual slump.

And there they sulk. They don’t appear particularly to like anything, not even their own kind. They sleep most of the time, and you never really see much of them. At least not until something begins to die.

Then, it’s as if they had a calling. They stretch and yell and jump and pick at themselves. They sort of collectively launch after their wounded game in a feathered frenzy. It becomes a contest to see which of them will be the first to get their talons and their beaks in the warm flesh of their poor victim. Tearing and ripping at their prey and at each other, to see who will devour the most and the best of what is offered up to them.

It’s a pitiful sight. Almost a ritual, repeated time and again until there is nothing left but bones.

It reminds me of another species I have observed. This one’s also a rather strange bird. It’s called a Past Master.

I’ve seen this fowl do pretty much the same things. It generally sits around minding its own business, cleaning its talons, and rubbing its bald head. Until something happens; almost anything at all. And then, watch out! It doesn’t take much to provoke this bird. In fact, he has been a little disagreeable ever since he was relegated from the head of the flock to his roost as Past Master—usually by some “up-start” who, in his way of thinking, can’t know half as much about what is going on. As far as the gaggle of Past Masters is concerned, the judgment is almost always in on the “sitting” Master before it ever went out. It is assumed that, if not watched like a hawk, the new guy will most assuredly tear everything down that they tried to erect while they were the head of the flock.

Now, the not so interesting thing about this is that, in the kind of lodges I am describing, these old birds were no different when they served their year in the “chair.” In fact, it is unlikely they tried anything earth shaking in their own time to move their lodge forward. Rather than actually take a chance on saving their lodge, they made the same choice every Master had made before them. They opted to contribute to the lodge’s death for yet one more year—by doing nothing.

And now, having passed to the ranks of “Past,” they sit in their roost, usually along the north side of the lodge, and sharpen their talons--in case something happens--so they can turn it back into nothing.

Of course, this visual image of Masonry does not apply to active, vibrant, dynamic lodges; of which we have many. And there are many wonderful Past Masters in the world of Masonry. But nonetheless, the image too often does exist across the landscape of American Masonry. I can well imagine it exists in any organization that has a progressive line.

It brings up a point. When a Worshipful Master chooses to “do nothing” during his year, and the Past Masters heartily endorse his lack of effort; they are, in effect, contributing to more than just the death of their lodge. They are contributing to their own demise. They are eating the meat from their own bones. And, over time, there will be no reason to be a Past Master. There will be no place for them to roost.

They will have no lodge in their area. And it will no longer mean anything to be a Past Master. They will spend their last days just being “old buzzards.” Then, when they die, there will be no younger birds to watch over their remains.

If there is a moral to this rambling, perhaps it is that our fraternal institution was never supposed to die because we had only buzzards for leaders. The ideal was never that a presiding officer be only an average leader; neither should he be expected to imitate a poor example. Nor should anyone who has already led feel envy because a successor outdoes him. Rather, all of us should act together in care of what brings our lodge success. And success is always fed by right example.

Leadership in Freemasonry has never been about titles, jewels, caps, fezzes, honors, or tradition. It is about making good choices in how we act, think, behave, and bring credit to our teachings. It is not the past, after all, but the future which conditions us—what we do with what lies in front of us is far more important than anything that has already happened to us.

Here is a key: Vision, integrity, and a focus on excellence happens one man and one lodge at a time. Once an environment is created that is conducive to self-motivation, the group dynamic changes. And when enough of the right things change in lodge after lodge after lodge, Freemasonry will grow again.

When the buzzards go to roost for good.

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May Brotherly Love Prevail, and Every Moral and Social Virtue Cement Us

BY: ROBERT G. DAVIS, 33*, GRAND CROSS

Every Mason will recognize the above declaration as the epilogue of the closing prayer given at almost every lodge meeting. It was penned by William Preston in 1772. 

It is an admonition for toleration.

Frederico Mayor, in an address dedicating the Beit-Hashoah Museum for Tolerance in Los Angeles in 1993 said; “…our ability to value each and every person is the ethical basis for peace, security and intercultural dialogue.” Albert Pike stated it even more poignantly in the tenth degree by declaring that without toleration “we are mere hollow images of true Masons, mere sounding brass and tinkling cymbals.” The fact is that a peaceful future depends on everyday acts of kindness and respect. It is a lesson every Freemason knows well. 

Among all the teachings Masonry imparts to its members, none is more important than championing the ideal of toleration in all things. In the book of lectures for the symbolic lodge, we read; “By the exercise of Brotherly Love we are taught to regard the whole human species as one family; the high and low, the rich and poor; who, as created by one Almighty Parent, and inhabitants of the same planet, are to aid, support and protect each other. On this principle, Masonry unites men of every country, sect and opinion, and conciliates true friendship among those who might otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance.”

The history of much of the world is a saga of deep ethnic divisions, regional conflicts, religious zealotry, and economic hostilities among peoples. Intolerance, jealousy and greed have fragmented almost every country in the world. There was a time when people came to America seeking asylum from such human suffering and strife. The altruistic nature of democracy has made the United States a multi-cultural society. Now the same divisions that have caused so much suffering and loss in the rest of the world are becoming manifest in the freest country on earth. We are becoming a nation filled with mistrust and animosity.

The natural reaction to diversity is to isolate ourselves in our own culture. It’s a kind of “out of sight, out of mind” mentality. It is easy to believe that we can’t get hurt if we stay within our own group. We can’t get into trouble if we don’t participate. But with people now migrating to America in record numbers, everyone who has perceived themselves as 20th century American-born citizens are rapidly becoming a minority. This perception is strong across every culture. National unity will never be possible if we feel threatened by every group outside our own. It’s time all of us made a little sacrifice and effort toward a greater cause.

Since (as the saying goes) you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, it seems the only chance we have of achieving and maintaining a sense of national unity at home is to develop a healthy learning environment among our children that will give them a full cross-cultural understanding. And such understanding will not just happen. To communicate and learn from one culture to another takes entire families out of their comfort zone. To achieve a reconciliation of idealistic, ethnic, religious and cultural differences between the old ways and the new will require an extraordinary feat of will and learning. In most cases, toleration itself will have to be learned and practiced.

But it is a role I believe was made for the Scottish Rite. If the Rite is indeed a great power, it is so because influence is power; and will is power. The teachings of the Rite answer these kinds of questions: What kind of society might we have if we were to achieve a culture of peace? How much would such a culture manifest itself in our family lives, communities, state and national politics and international relations? What relationship exists between tolerance and peace? Can human rights be realized without a social commitment to tolerance? Is there a significant relationship between human rights and democracy? What are our own personal and community concerns about the issue of tolerance? How do our concerns relate to tolerance on a global scale? How can we contribute to promoting a tolerant world?

If our own history is a guide, Freemasonry gains civic and social relevance when it stands up for what it stands for. There can be much value in sharing our values with the cross-cultural world in which we live. Perhaps it is a mission of the Scottish Rite to take the lead in diagnosing the kinds of intolerance which hinders the world; and then pledge, individually and corporately, to do whatever is necessary in educating the next generation of adults that tolerance is indeed the most reasonable means to peace in the world. 

It seems like such a worthy mission—to stand on what we stand for.

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THANK YOU FOR READING THE LAUDABLE PURSUIT!

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