Sometimes it’s hard to remember that there is so much more that unites us than divides us. Each Mason sees the craft in a different light. Some of us only want it to be a social organization of Brothers. Others see us as an organization that has been formed only for the distribution of charity and service to others. Others still feel that we are only bound together to study the philosophies and histories of the craft. Many of us do not understand that we will survive only through respecting all three ideals, namely Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. There are too many of us who are intolerant of other Masons or Lodges who choose to be different than ourselves.
Some Shriners think that the Blue Lodge is just a feeding organization for its own membership. Some Blue Lodge members discourage their members from joining the Shrine. Some Scottish Rite members feel that the Blue Lodge does not have enough pageantry and some Blue Lodges leaders reject the Rites because they compete for their members’ time. Some Eastern Star brothers only stay Masons so they can participate with their Chapters and some Blue Lodge Masons feel the Eastern Star is just folly. Some Lodge leaders reject anything that comes from the Grand Lodge while failing to recognize that they themselves are its voting members.
In his poem Mending Walls, poet Robert Frost reminds us that good fences make
good neighbors
, but that is not what the poem is about. The poet is really
telling us something there is that doesn’t love a wall
. He goes on
to say before I built a wall I’d ask to know what I was walling in or
walling out.
We need to know that also.
Masonry is truly a stronghold of tolerance. We accept men of all faiths, creeds, social standings, ethnic groups and nationalities. We take pride in welcoming any man who has integrity and believes in God. We are inclusive and not exclusive. And yet we often have less patience for each other than we do for strangers. Are resentment and envy dividing us? Are we building walls amongst ourselves or bringing them down?
Our ritual is filled with references as to how we should treat, respect, and care for each other. Every new Mason should be thoroughly taught these ideals and every established Mason should be constantly reminded. We are our Brother’s Keeper.