What is a Mason?
By: Bro Charles H. Tupper
MPS
This question is often asked by those who are not yet
members and by those who have been in lodge for some time. This question is often a difficult one to
answer. We know that we enjoy being
Masons but do not know how to explain this. I will try to give an overview of
why we are masons and what masonry is.
First we need to understand that the number one thing that
people want to know about any organization.
This is: “What’s in it for me?” This is one of the things that is always
the same in life. No one wants to
become involved in something unless they benefit from it. This question must be answered for
if we do not know what we want from it, it matters not what it is.
If each of us thinks back to when we petitioned the lodge
we will find that there are striking similarities in the reasons that we did so.
Some of these are: Many of our male relatives were masons
and it was the family thing to do;
Many of the men we worked with and associated with were masons. We wanted to fit in with the crowd. People that we admired and respected were
masons. We wanted to emulate them
and we wanted to belong to the most
respected fraternity in the world.
Freemasonry affords men the opportunity to be with others
who have the same interests. These
men support one another. This
applies not only to the activities of the Lodge but also to the activities of
daily life. The first degree teaches
us that we should promote each others welfare and rejoice in each others
prosperity. When brothers meet away
from the lodge at an impromptu gathering we see much of this type of activity. The friendliness and genuine
feeling we have for one another is evident at these affairs.
Freemasonry is one of the few places that we can gather in
confidence that we will leave with all that we arrived with. We do not take advantage if one of our
ladies leaves her purse unattended or one of us loses his wallet. They are never bothered. How many places can this occur in todays
world? Not very many. We are selective and do not,
knowingly, accept any man who would take advantage of others. The teachings of Freemasonry afford the
member a better chance to live a happy life with his chosen mate without joining
the ranks of the throw away spouse society. We learn how to work through our tough
times and make our lives better and more productive.
If disaster should befall us we can turn to our fraternity
in confidence that help will be given.
If financial aid is needed there are avenues open to the membership that
are not available elsewhere. The
lodge will help to the best of its ability.
If this is not enough there is the King County Masonic Service Bureau. A mason does not have to belong to a
lodge that is a member of the Bureau to receive aid from it. If more still is needed, there is the
Grand Lodge Charity Fund. Occasionally
one of our widows will need assistance.
All she needs to do is call the Secretary of the Lodge and the brothers will do
all that they are able to do for her.
This affords security for the mates of our departed brothers.
These are some of the things about masons that make them
different than members of many other fraternal organizations. These things are good to know but most of
these are peripheral to what and who we are.
Freemasonry is a story of life.
It carries joy, heartache, failure and triumph. In books one can read its teachings,
symbols and ambitions. We do not
practice our craft in the dark but
rather in the full light of day. We
are required to practice the teachings and love we are taught by the lights of
our fraternity. No greater thing can
be said of the fraternity than that it is an ideal way of life. No other fraternity offers the lessons
contained within our ritual. Every
word and act in our ceremonies carries a lesson to each of us. If we will just open our eyes, hearts and
ears as we are taught to do by the second degree of Masonry.
We can study Freemasonry for years and each time we think
about the things we see and hear we will find new meaning and inspiration. Each time this happens we see more of
what Freemasonry is and for what it is intended.
Great men have devoted many years to the cause of Freemasonry and when
their work is finished they have realized that they have only begun to see the
light and that they have only started to uncover the truths contained within our
ritual. I do not believe that
any man has fully understood all of the lessons that it teaches. The meaning of being a Mason rests in
education and character forming.
While it may be accepted as an innermost desire, followed by obligations that
makes us members, yet in a larger sense, a man is never a Freemason until he
truthfully and loyally lives up to his obligations. He cannot do that until he
understands them and begins to learn their scope and meaning.
There is something inherently good about being a mason.
Freemasonry has stood through the years with the shining light of its membership
as a beacon to the world. The greatness of the fraternity is not
due to secret teachings, mysteries or deeds.
It is due to the lessons taught to its members by its ritual and the comfort,
inspiration and enlightenment brought to all who will study it. Through this study men learn more about
how to live up to the obligations that they have taken when they became members
of the Fraternity. They learn
to better control their passions, prejudices, angers and tongues. The Freemason is different than most of
the people around him for he has the lessons of the Fraternity within him as he
walks through life. He truly learns
who he is and what he is on this earth for.
Freemasonry offers comfort to those who sorrow, hope for
those who despair, counsel for those who err, and joy and contentment to all who
genuinely practice it. The
philosophies of the fraternity provide a simple but profound solution to the
problems of human relationships. It
is accepted that it is a way of life to the MM who is interested enough to
appraise and value what is his, and his alone because he is a MM. Freemasonry has a solid foundation in
unchanging principles. It is an
excellent training ground for ethical living and moral behavior. The true masons word is his bond. What he says, he means. He practices fairness and honesty in all
his dealings.
There are three kinds of honesty practiced in this world.
Cash register honesty, business honesty and personal honesty. The MM makes no distinctions. He only knows one honesty. That is the lesson taught by all
religions. Do unto others as you
would that they do unto you. This
makes the mason different from most people in this world.
He is respected and revered by those around him. It matters not whether he is a
maintenance worker or the president of the company.
The actions are the same.
This is important to the Mason as the world around him has
no clear sense of purpose or firm spiritual foundation. To many people, the Masons vision of
life is ludicrous. These modern
times seem to be seeking the lowest common denominator where the only question
people want answered is: What can we get away with? This society is fast going toward self
regulation. Self-seeking is
becoming increasingly prominent.
Allegiance is becoming secondary to the selfish pursuits of the individual. In other words, society is falling apart. We see around us high unemployment,
people who are worried about holding on to their jobs, shrinking buying power,
continual warfare in the streets, commercialized sex, drugs being sold in every
neighborhood, crimes of every kind are on the rise, rampant consumerism that works on people
to buy things they do not need and homeless people are in every major downtown
area. We are living in a throw away
society where values count for less and less.
We see people more and more who do not think of the dignity
and feelings of others. They have
forgotten the virtues of temperance and prudence. These virtues can not be legislated but
must be practiced for the good order of society.
Good men practice them here.
Justice seems to take a back seat to rights in our society. Without justice our way of life is doomed
also. We must get our society back
to the basics that have made this the greatest Country in the history of the
planet.
My brothers, if you listen closely you will hear the good
men in our society calling out.
Masonry, where are you?
Freemasonry can help good men to withstand the pressures of our run away
society. Freemasonry can help good
men to renew the values that are needed to rebuild our society. Freemasonry can help good men to gain the
knowledge to make our cities safe again.
Freemasonry can help good men to become better men.
Freemasonry teaches that the road to happiness is found in
the journey towards perfection of spirit, intellect and soul. Freemasonry teaches men to reach
their fullest potential. The Freemason works toward these goals each day of his
life. To aid in his journey he
studies the book of religion, the history of man, and the philosophy of life. He cares for his family and his church. He puts forth his best efforts for the
payment he receives in the workplace.
He helps his neighbor and his community and he attends his Lodge so that he may
fellowship with others with the same aims and goals.
From the time the Entered Apprentice Mason stands in the
northeast corner of the Lodge and is told that he now stands as a just and
upright Mason he becomes a worker on the building of Freemasonry and a guardian
of the foundation stones. As society
digs the earth from under the stones of civilization he stands, ever watchful,
guarding the foundation of Freemasonry so that the fraternity will always stand
tall for what is right and good in the world.
The Freemason is a builder. The building he works on is never
finished. With every stone he lays
there is another to be shaped and set.
We work together as a fraternity to build a strong building. The more men work and learn together, the
better the building. We must impress
upon the young men of today that this building is in danger of crumbling from
age and may collapse without the labor of their hearts and hands. We offer them brotherhood, understanding,
help, encouragement and moral support.
Unless men are properly influenced and guided by principles there is no
hope for a brighter tomorrow. Not for society, not for freedom, not for
Democracy and not for Freemasonry Our fraternity is a bastion of morality. Perhaps the last one outside of the
secular churches. We have an
advantage over them because we cross all religious boundaries and bring together
men of every country, sect and opinion in peace and harmony.
We enjoy each other and the families of one another. We have family get togethers to promote
the togetherness of our fraternity.
When we were young and going to school, most of us had a
circle of friends with whom we did and shared everything. As we grew older and the concerns of the
world began to hem us in we became distant from this sharing. Freemasonry affords the opportunity to
regain this important part of life.
To have friends with whom we can share our innermost secrets without fear of
ridicule or reprisal is something that we can not get in most places. We can get it from our brothers for
Freemasonry truly regards the whole human race as one family. As we progress through life with
our brothers we find that our lives are richer, better and more fulfilling.
When we put all of these things together we arrive at the
bottom line. This is the simple
explanation that a Mason is a good man who, by the teachings of the Fraternity
is working to become a better man and the Fraternity is all the Masons working,
one with the other, toward the same goal.