Every Human Being Has A Claim...
Upon your kind offices...
Do good unto all.
Over the past few days, I have very closely followed a debate? (I guess debate is the best way to describe it.) Online.
A couple of hundred people, fighting each other in a social media comment section under a news commentary.
I’m sure that you’ve seen nonsense like this before.
Boiled down to its very essence, this acrimonious debate was quite simple:
Government punishes an extremely small group within the population, because that group lacks the numbers, money, and the organization to fight back.
Some people say, in essence… ‘I don’t care, I’m not a member of that group, so it doesn’t impact me.’
Other people say, in essence… ‘This is really bad. We need to stop doing it to this group, and we should do it to that group instead.’ (Within the scrum there were three such groups identified that seemed to have lots of support for punishment.)
Some people say, in essence… ‘Hey, I’m a member of that group, why am I being punished, I never hurt anyone.’
I’ve been reading this online fight for three days now. Every post, with care.
Only one person said, in essence… ‘No, this doesn’t impact me, but I care about everyone and we shouldn’t be treating anyone badly.’
Only one person out of a couple of hundred people stood up to say that everyone should be treated fairly.
And isn’t that what Freemasonry so plainly teaches us.
From our Closing Charge here in Washington:
“These generous principles extend further, for every human being has a claim upon your kind offices. Do good unto all.”
In really powerful ways we’ve lost that in the United States today. Far too many of us look at others and identify them with little political or identity groups. From there it is all too easy to stop seeing their essential humanity.
We are creating a society in which groups, large and small, battle against each other for the slightest advantage. Losing sight of the fact that we are all human, and in very real ways, all in this together. Too many of us press any political or cultural advantage, continually working to dig deeper chasms between people, the consequences of our actions be damned.
Too many today forget that every human being has a claim upon our kind offices.
Freemasonry can stand as a reminder.
If not we Masons, who?
Well said, my brother. And timely. We all need to be reminded as we do at the end of every meeting. I wish more would take it to heart.
This is probably one of my favorite posts of yours to date Brother. E Pluribus Unum.
We see so many attempts to create and foment dissension amongst various political, cultural, and social groups. Ultimately pulling our time and energies in various ways that leads to further division and hostilities that benefit none of the parties involved. In many cases desiring of similar end states from different perspectives.
Rather than focusing on which groups to fight, I wonder what we might achieve if we instead sought to improve the conditions for all involved.
I'd like to see this topic explored on Rummer N' Grapes sometime if you're amenable.