I believe we are called to speak of injustices whenever we can. To encourage free and open dialogue. I’m not sure why a person would need to be economically secure in order to exercise their freedom of speech. It seems to me that what is being said is that if you’re not economically secure then you need to sit and be quiet, that what you have to say has no value. The one thing that needs to be said about freedom of speech is that you can say what you want, but there may be consequences to what you say.
My assumption, when I read the quote, was that the writer was saying that if we are economically secure, and have people who love us unconditionally, we can survive if the mob attacks. I think that is probably prudent, depending on what one has to say, as sometimes standing up for what is right leads to economic and social attack. Cancel culture as practiced by both those on the right and on the left.
First, do we have a duty? Is it imposed by society, ourselves, some other factor? Regardless, if the duty exists, and we feel compelled to speak, then let us take heed to that Staircase Lecture and educate ourselves.
When I first started working at Microsoft, way back in 2005, it was an initial shock in regards to the dynamics of the team I was on, and the culture at the company. I had never worked for a company that large before. Most of my jobs were at companies where I interacted with no more than 20 people in the entire company, or at the least, the local office.
Six months into the job, we are sitting in a team meeting and a topic was being discussed. The subject escapes me presently, but it was technically related. The manager had heard from most of the members of the team. She looked over at me and asked why I hadn't spoken. I replied that I agreed with everything that had been stated and did not feel the need to just add my voice of confirmation.
She also made the comment that I don't always speak up in meetings and was concerned that I might be feeling shy or some other factor was influencing it.
Before I could answer, a fellow team member spoke up. He said, "Gerry might not always speak up in meetings, but when he does, you had better listen because his input is well thought out, appropriate, and usually has taken into consideration, all the information. He makes informed decisions."
So that is my point. Educate yourself on the topic before weighing in. Understand all sides of the argument, if there is an argument, and take that understanding into consideration before speaking.
Too many people react quickly, just to be heard. Too many people in society today, and especially in social media, have the "look at me" mentality. A case in point. I posted on a FB group the other day about the Meta AI announcement stating that the DJI Neo 2 drone was a great tool for real estate imaging tasks but the people in the U.S. had to wait, because it wasn't available. Well, I own one. Purchased from Amazon two week prior to that announcement by Meta. I made mention of that and one member of the group immediately replied with the comment, "AI sucks!". My response was, "Depends on the AI" to which he replied, "Let me clarify, 100% of AI sucks."
Was there any useful information in his post? Not an ounce of usefulness. Was it educated? In my opinion, not even a little.
So, in summary, if we find duty compels us to speak, for the food of society, Masonry, <add your favorite topic here>, then let's please start with educating ourselves on the topic first.
By the way, I have had a personal motto for many years.
"Education is a light load to carry. You can never have too much. Learn something new everyday."
“I made mention of that and one member of the group immediately replied with the comment, "AI sucks!". My response was, "Depends on the AI" to which he replied, "Let me clarify, 100% of AI sucks."”
That’s the “cool thing” to do in social media: the electronic version of throwing a brick and running. One-two word zingers, just to get their word in as if it’s important. I’m surprised that you got a response when you called it out. I remember one example that stood out when I was looking at a post showing an update on the Union Pacific “Big Boy” 4014 on an excursion run. One of the comments was “SCRAP METAL!!!” Somebody responded in a manner very much like what you’re saying here. Something along the lines of “what did you hope to accomplish by making this comment? Did you bring anything constructive to this comment thread or to UP or its program? Or did you just think you had to say something to stir up the pot?” No response, of course. And I see this a LOT. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t even read comments anymore. Being a gearhead, I watch the reels of performance engine builds. One of them is a factory 305 Chevrolet motor from 1984 with aftermarket heads, intake and camshaft, and they managed over 400 HP at 7,500 RPM. Like a dope, I checked the comment threads just to see how many people would bad-mouth the 305 as a gutless smog motor. Sure enough, it was a race to the bottom to see which person would make the most stupid and degrading comments. Almost none of it was constructive. If you read enough comment threads, you will start to believe that our society consists of low-IQ primates that can barely function enough to hold a job, much less make a positive contribution to society. It will also tend to make you not want to participate in that society, figuring it’s a waste of time. IT ISN’T. Not everyone is like that. In fact, most of us aren’t that stupid and foolish. For all of you out there, do the education. Speak out and educate your fellow citizen. Get involved with your community. Be a constructive, positive member of society. Sure! It takes more work than tossing a ‘one-liner’ on a social media post. But harder, constructive work will pay better dividends down the road.
>>>If you read enough comment threads, you will start to believe that our society >>>consists of low-IQ primates that can barely function enough to hold a job, much less >>>make a positive contribution to society.
IMHO, I think that very well might be the case. Low IQ, I don't know, but purposefully ignorant, yeah, lots and lots of folks out there just like that. A great many seem to strive for barbarism, bringing the behaviors of our dark human history into the digital world. Happy to live in information silos, where irrational beliefs are never challenged.
I’m thinking in a lot of cases that it could be a “Drug” that social media is that drags people down to behaving in this manner. Also the need to respond to the thuggish behavior might tend, over time, to lead the person to actually behave the same way. But it’s like Bro. Gerry says. We DON’T have to comment on every damn post, reel and video that we see. If there’s anything we need to concern ourselves concerning reels, it’s that we need to reel in the impulse desire to make a comment. It makes me wonder if the bulk of these inane one-word zingers are actually that. The person simply engaging in a bad habit developed over time. But there we go again, pointing out that primal, Cro-Magnon nature that we could all degrade to if we don’t stay diligent. We ARE smarter than that.
If it is a duty upon a Mason, it is certainly a self imposed duty. As are all of our Masonic duties.
An example I can give us that of the Mason who behaves like an unhinged lunatic on social media, attacking people while elsewhere on his profile declaring himself a Freemason. We've probably all seen examples of that.
Often, when a Brother is called on that, he'll shout about his right to freedom of speech. Completely ignoring the fact that when he became a Freemason, he took certain obligations on to himself. Obligations stated and unstated, one of which is to preserve the reputation of our Craft. That duty is a restriction of free speech, that he willingly took on.
I imagine that for most of us, self-education is the most impactful form of education, and if we will but heed it, our Staircase Lecture points out just how we can bring that about.
3rd degree Charge: "To preserve unsullied the reputation of the Fraternity, ought to be your constant care; and, therefore, it becomes your province to caution the inexperienced against a breach of fidelity."
True, but for those of us who are calling them out on their behavior, we are also following that Charge. We ARE doing the right thing, and it IS worth it. But we need to know WHEN and WHERE to do it.
I've visited streetcorner Parks in London where individuals stood on a "soapbox" and a small crowd gathered around that person to listen (and a few participated in a discussion with the speaker)!
I feel we are at a time where we cannot speak out against injustice, no matter how severe, without it being deemed "divisive", while actual divisive speech is glorified as the epitome of "free" speech. This means we must separate our public and Masonic lives very clearly, even though we ought to be united in terms of justice.
I too am extremely concerned about the distortion of the true meanings of words. Definitions twisted and pulled, all to support political and/or social agendas. As Orwell warned long ago, if we lack proper words (and proper meanings) we lose the ability to think, and become nothing but herd animals to be manipulated.
We often see dissension or frustration with the state of our communities, our countries, and the world around us. Though we don't generally see it where it counts.
We see endless protests. We see volatile actions of desperation and ignorance. We see the slow erosion of community.
If we fail to have conversations that directly affect our lived experiences, then we have failed to advocate for our own interests. I can think of no more certain way to live in misery than to avoid living in earnest for what you believe and stand for.
I believe we are called to speak of injustices whenever we can. To encourage free and open dialogue. I’m not sure why a person would need to be economically secure in order to exercise their freedom of speech. It seems to me that what is being said is that if you’re not economically secure then you need to sit and be quiet, that what you have to say has no value. The one thing that needs to be said about freedom of speech is that you can say what you want, but there may be consequences to what you say.
My assumption, when I read the quote, was that the writer was saying that if we are economically secure, and have people who love us unconditionally, we can survive if the mob attacks. I think that is probably prudent, depending on what one has to say, as sometimes standing up for what is right leads to economic and social attack. Cancel culture as practiced by both those on the right and on the left.
This is what is meant by using privilege for good.
That is how I read the quote. But, I can see how it could be read differently.
I think a balance needs to considered.
First, do we have a duty? Is it imposed by society, ourselves, some other factor? Regardless, if the duty exists, and we feel compelled to speak, then let us take heed to that Staircase Lecture and educate ourselves.
When I first started working at Microsoft, way back in 2005, it was an initial shock in regards to the dynamics of the team I was on, and the culture at the company. I had never worked for a company that large before. Most of my jobs were at companies where I interacted with no more than 20 people in the entire company, or at the least, the local office.
Six months into the job, we are sitting in a team meeting and a topic was being discussed. The subject escapes me presently, but it was technically related. The manager had heard from most of the members of the team. She looked over at me and asked why I hadn't spoken. I replied that I agreed with everything that had been stated and did not feel the need to just add my voice of confirmation.
She also made the comment that I don't always speak up in meetings and was concerned that I might be feeling shy or some other factor was influencing it.
Before I could answer, a fellow team member spoke up. He said, "Gerry might not always speak up in meetings, but when he does, you had better listen because his input is well thought out, appropriate, and usually has taken into consideration, all the information. He makes informed decisions."
So that is my point. Educate yourself on the topic before weighing in. Understand all sides of the argument, if there is an argument, and take that understanding into consideration before speaking.
Too many people react quickly, just to be heard. Too many people in society today, and especially in social media, have the "look at me" mentality. A case in point. I posted on a FB group the other day about the Meta AI announcement stating that the DJI Neo 2 drone was a great tool for real estate imaging tasks but the people in the U.S. had to wait, because it wasn't available. Well, I own one. Purchased from Amazon two week prior to that announcement by Meta. I made mention of that and one member of the group immediately replied with the comment, "AI sucks!". My response was, "Depends on the AI" to which he replied, "Let me clarify, 100% of AI sucks."
Was there any useful information in his post? Not an ounce of usefulness. Was it educated? In my opinion, not even a little.
So, in summary, if we find duty compels us to speak, for the food of society, Masonry, <add your favorite topic here>, then let's please start with educating ourselves on the topic first.
By the way, I have had a personal motto for many years.
"Education is a light load to carry. You can never have too much. Learn something new everyday."
“I made mention of that and one member of the group immediately replied with the comment, "AI sucks!". My response was, "Depends on the AI" to which he replied, "Let me clarify, 100% of AI sucks."”
That’s the “cool thing” to do in social media: the electronic version of throwing a brick and running. One-two word zingers, just to get their word in as if it’s important. I’m surprised that you got a response when you called it out. I remember one example that stood out when I was looking at a post showing an update on the Union Pacific “Big Boy” 4014 on an excursion run. One of the comments was “SCRAP METAL!!!” Somebody responded in a manner very much like what you’re saying here. Something along the lines of “what did you hope to accomplish by making this comment? Did you bring anything constructive to this comment thread or to UP or its program? Or did you just think you had to say something to stir up the pot?” No response, of course. And I see this a LOT. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t even read comments anymore. Being a gearhead, I watch the reels of performance engine builds. One of them is a factory 305 Chevrolet motor from 1984 with aftermarket heads, intake and camshaft, and they managed over 400 HP at 7,500 RPM. Like a dope, I checked the comment threads just to see how many people would bad-mouth the 305 as a gutless smog motor. Sure enough, it was a race to the bottom to see which person would make the most stupid and degrading comments. Almost none of it was constructive. If you read enough comment threads, you will start to believe that our society consists of low-IQ primates that can barely function enough to hold a job, much less make a positive contribution to society. It will also tend to make you not want to participate in that society, figuring it’s a waste of time. IT ISN’T. Not everyone is like that. In fact, most of us aren’t that stupid and foolish. For all of you out there, do the education. Speak out and educate your fellow citizen. Get involved with your community. Be a constructive, positive member of society. Sure! It takes more work than tossing a ‘one-liner’ on a social media post. But harder, constructive work will pay better dividends down the road.
>>>If you read enough comment threads, you will start to believe that our society >>>consists of low-IQ primates that can barely function enough to hold a job, much less >>>make a positive contribution to society.
IMHO, I think that very well might be the case. Low IQ, I don't know, but purposefully ignorant, yeah, lots and lots of folks out there just like that. A great many seem to strive for barbarism, bringing the behaviors of our dark human history into the digital world. Happy to live in information silos, where irrational beliefs are never challenged.
I’m thinking in a lot of cases that it could be a “Drug” that social media is that drags people down to behaving in this manner. Also the need to respond to the thuggish behavior might tend, over time, to lead the person to actually behave the same way. But it’s like Bro. Gerry says. We DON’T have to comment on every damn post, reel and video that we see. If there’s anything we need to concern ourselves concerning reels, it’s that we need to reel in the impulse desire to make a comment. It makes me wonder if the bulk of these inane one-word zingers are actually that. The person simply engaging in a bad habit developed over time. But there we go again, pointing out that primal, Cro-Magnon nature that we could all degrade to if we don’t stay diligent. We ARE smarter than that.
I think that's right, Social Media has certainly encouraged the degradation of civilized behavior, normalizing hate and bile, even in cases violence.
But of course, as you rightly point out, we don't have to participate in that. It is a choice.
Heck, we don't have to participate in Social Media at all.
If it is a duty upon a Mason, it is certainly a self imposed duty. As are all of our Masonic duties.
An example I can give us that of the Mason who behaves like an unhinged lunatic on social media, attacking people while elsewhere on his profile declaring himself a Freemason. We've probably all seen examples of that.
Often, when a Brother is called on that, he'll shout about his right to freedom of speech. Completely ignoring the fact that when he became a Freemason, he took certain obligations on to himself. Obligations stated and unstated, one of which is to preserve the reputation of our Craft. That duty is a restriction of free speech, that he willingly took on.
I imagine that for most of us, self-education is the most impactful form of education, and if we will but heed it, our Staircase Lecture points out just how we can bring that about.
3rd degree Charge: "To preserve unsullied the reputation of the Fraternity, ought to be your constant care; and, therefore, it becomes your province to caution the inexperienced against a breach of fidelity."
Yep. And everyone of those guys who claim to be Masons, while posting hatred online are in clear violation of this Charge.
True, but for those of us who are calling them out on their behavior, we are also following that Charge. We ARE doing the right thing, and it IS worth it. But we need to know WHEN and WHERE to do it.
I've visited streetcorner Parks in London where individuals stood on a "soapbox" and a small crowd gathered around that person to listen (and a few participated in a discussion with the speaker)!
I've never had the good fortune to witness that in London, but I have heard about it. Perhaps someday.
But, that said, I do sometimes look at this particular digital place as my own 'soapbox!'
I feel we are at a time where we cannot speak out against injustice, no matter how severe, without it being deemed "divisive", while actual divisive speech is glorified as the epitome of "free" speech. This means we must separate our public and Masonic lives very clearly, even though we ought to be united in terms of justice.
I too am extremely concerned about the distortion of the true meanings of words. Definitions twisted and pulled, all to support political and/or social agendas. As Orwell warned long ago, if we lack proper words (and proper meanings) we lose the ability to think, and become nothing but herd animals to be manipulated.
Absolutely. So many words have been weaponized into their opposite meanings and applications. If only more people had actually read Orwell ...
Agreed.
We often see dissension or frustration with the state of our communities, our countries, and the world around us. Though we don't generally see it where it counts.
We see endless protests. We see volatile actions of desperation and ignorance. We see the slow erosion of community.
If we fail to have conversations that directly affect our lived experiences, then we have failed to advocate for our own interests. I can think of no more certain way to live in misery than to avoid living in earnest for what you believe and stand for.
>>>I can think of no more certain way to live in misery than to avoid living in earnest for what >>>you believe and stand for.
I agree. But it must be done effectively and rationally. That's where the lessons of the Staircase Lecture come in.
Wholly agreed.