If our civil society is to survive, each of us must be willing to hear one another instead of locking our minds into echo chambers of our own choosing. We must champion the free expression of ideas, including those we vehemently disagree with, instead of trying to silence any speaker who does not share our views.
This is because it is only through rational inquiry and debate that truth can be found.
If we refuse to hear perspectives that we disagree with then we are not finding truth, we are finding nothing but belief.
As with a great many things, perhaps Benjamin Franklin said it best when he wrote:
“I imagine a man must have a good deal of vanity who believes, and a good deal of boldness who affirms, that all the doctrines that he holds are true, and all he rejects are false.”
Surely we must all recognize that we can’t possibly possess all knowledge or all truth, but that as a free society, working together, making rational argument, we can come closer to it.
In our Lodges we learn to do just these things. We learn to make suggestions, to debate rationally, to win the argument gracefully, and to lose the argument but remain friends.
Using today’s social media platforms, we learn just the opposite. We learn that the more outrageous our post might be, the more attention it will get. We learn that the irrational meme is more valuable than the reasoned essay. We say terrible things to people that we would not dream of saying to them if we were face to face.
This is a battle that Freemasonry faces. To continue to teach men how to function within a free society, how to create a cohesive society, all while the diversion of social media teaches lessons that are in direct opposition.
We must not forget that a society ruled by emotion and belief instead of reason and rationality can end in nothing but anarchy, and anarchy can end in nothing but dictatorship.
Freemasonry built our nation, and it can continue working to build our nation, but the fundamental foundation that must exist for it to perform that work is that Freemasons must understand the importance of the institution and its lessons.
In short, as Freemasons, we must very highly value Freemasonry.
That brings forth the question to my mind:
How do we teach that to our initiates? How do we teach those new men coming into the Lodge to place a very high value on the Lodge? What must we do to set the example, for those men who look up to us?
The tree that doesn't bend with the wind will eventually break and fall. We as Masons must also be able to be flexible and bend with the wind that blows through our society. We have in our Lodge open thoughts and expression that allows for all beliefs and personal opinions. We have a moral compass that should keep us in due bounds and is it our responsibility to dictate what a Brother believes. We can argue over points at dinner, but when we enter the Lodge room, we should leave behind any discourse and meet on the level. Peace and harmony abound.
Civility seems to be the first victim of disagreements. Similar to our educational programs waning into bland, non-controversial, topics, so have our opportunities to have lively discourses which are always educational. We stand firmly about not talking about politics and religion in the Lodge Room, but in doing so, have we failed our mission of making good men better. Should we not be having conversations about the paths our local governments may be traveling and how we support or opposed those agendas. We no longer seem to be able to have those conversations without devolving to personal attacks of a brother’s ideas or opinions or a brother feeling slighted because his idea or opinion wasn’t accepted. Freemasons should be able to discuss any topic in lodge if the brothers remember to address all comments to the Master and if the Master is strong enough to control the conversations. Are our beliefs easily persuaded by fear and propaganda? Should we not, as Freemasons, always endeavor to seek the truth? Not the truth of “my cousin’s neighbor’s friend said”, but but the truth gained through legitimate research. Consensus, whether achieved or not, through face to face conversations, grows us as men and as Masons.
I agree with you. I think that in many cases, the prohibition against discussing politics in Lodge is misunderstood.
We are, as everyone knows, prohibited from talking about partisan political things in Lodge.
But that doesn't mean that we can't or shouldn't talk about the fundamentals of legitimate government, or the seemingly impossible issues of the day.
If our Founding Fathers never talked about what makes a government legitimate with their Lodge Brothers, they would have never been able to develop the foundations upon which our Republic stands.
Likewise, if the Shriners never talked about the failure of our society to properly provide the most needy children with the finest health care, the Shriners Hospitals would have never been founded.
As I drive through Seattle today, I see the most amazing buildings. Edifices built and owned by some of the richest corporations and individuals in the world. Yet at the base of those very buildings, I see tarps strung up, with people living under them. Heck, I see this stuff in my own rural little town. One morning this past week I had a clearly mentally ill homeless person walking back and forth in front of my house, apparently screaming at himself. On my block is another kind of homeless person, a young person, living in his car while he attends the college across the street from me.
Should we be discussing these things in our Lodges? Darn straight we should.
Would doing so violate the prohibition against political discussion? No. We are charged as Masons to work to improve society. In order to do that, we need to both understand the problems society faces, and come up with workable ways to help.
Could doing so violate the prohibition against political discussion. Yes. It could easily devolve into discussion about the positions taken by political parties, candidates, or become uncivil as some questioned the motives of others.
How do we prevent that from happening? Through the Master controlling the discussion, and keeping it within due bounds.
There are many Brothers who have opinions with which I disagree, and they, in turn disagree with my opinions. This is the source of social discourse. We can learn to disagree without being disagreeable. We all have ideas and opinions, which we can support with accredited source material. That doesn't mean that the other fellow is necessarily wrong. It simply means that we have differing views. Some of those views are based in emotion, rather than in fact. I think that's the main reason that politics and religion are taboo topics in the Lodge Room. Civility is the key to unlocking reasonable social discourse--discussion. According to Diogenes Laërtius, when Plato gave the tongue-in-cheek definition of man as "featherless bipeds," Diogenes plucked a chicken and brought it into Plato's Academy, saying, "Behold! I've brought you a man," and so the Academy added "...with broad flat nails" to the definition. [Source: WikiPedia] Is homo sapiens, in fact a chicken? No. But, by Plato's definition, he is. So we have a discussion, and more likely, a lively one at that. So many of our ideas depend on definition. And among Brethren, we must agree to disagree, with civility.
The "Value of Masonry" consists of several concepts: 1. Trust and Respect. 2. Know thy self. The Mason that has internalized "Trust and Respect" and "Knows Himself" has Mastered Masonry
"How do we teach this to initiates"? We do not. Initiates come to us full-grown men, with tendencies, backgrounds, and histories that are typically more influenced by their upbringing and community than us.
Teaching them how to do these things is the wrong approach, rather all I think we can do is to encourage their best impulses.
Their impulses in turn are shaped by the age they're living through. The Post WWII social situation was drastically different than it is today. Freemasonry may have lasted for centuries, but it always has to surf the waves of whatever's happening in broader society. What's happening right now is deep discord.
Do you think that Freemasonry can help to heal that division and discord, or do you feel that it is beyond our capacity? I wonder about that quite frequently
Can we help? Yes. Can we heal it? Hard no. If you're familiar with chemistry, I think of it as sort of like a buffer in the solution. The pH of society is getting pretty badly out of whack with discord, fracture, etc. Attempting to cultivate an environment where people with dissenting religious or political views are still treated with respect - I would hope - makes it harder for things to get worse.
We still have to resist the invasion of that tendency though. Intolerance is the norm today on all sides, and I really do think the membership's impulses are shaped by the age they're living through. This is dangerous because society can transform Freemasonry as easily as the other way around, without proper vigilance, such as guarding the west gate, reinforcing certain cultural values of Masonry, and so on.
I would bet that most members can see this among their own brethren on their Facebook feeds day by day -- divisive political division online, followed by hopefully a different attitude in lodge.
The way I figure it, Freemasons being a part of the society they live in is both a strength and a weakness; the same thing that lets us contribute back to our communities is what infiltrates us when the wider zeitgeist is going through some nasty times.
My 11th grade English teacher handed out a list of logical fallacies (ad hominem, victory by definition, etc). I still have it somewhere.
Part of rational inquiry is recognizing when others use those fallacies. Another part is not letting yourself use them.
https://cf.linnbenton.edu/artcom/english/traskd/upload/Master%20List%20of%20Logical%20Fallacies.pdf
The tree that doesn't bend with the wind will eventually break and fall. We as Masons must also be able to be flexible and bend with the wind that blows through our society. We have in our Lodge open thoughts and expression that allows for all beliefs and personal opinions. We have a moral compass that should keep us in due bounds and is it our responsibility to dictate what a Brother believes. We can argue over points at dinner, but when we enter the Lodge room, we should leave behind any discourse and meet on the level. Peace and harmony abound.
Civility seems to be the first victim of disagreements. Similar to our educational programs waning into bland, non-controversial, topics, so have our opportunities to have lively discourses which are always educational. We stand firmly about not talking about politics and religion in the Lodge Room, but in doing so, have we failed our mission of making good men better. Should we not be having conversations about the paths our local governments may be traveling and how we support or opposed those agendas. We no longer seem to be able to have those conversations without devolving to personal attacks of a brother’s ideas or opinions or a brother feeling slighted because his idea or opinion wasn’t accepted. Freemasons should be able to discuss any topic in lodge if the brothers remember to address all comments to the Master and if the Master is strong enough to control the conversations. Are our beliefs easily persuaded by fear and propaganda? Should we not, as Freemasons, always endeavor to seek the truth? Not the truth of “my cousin’s neighbor’s friend said”, but but the truth gained through legitimate research. Consensus, whether achieved or not, through face to face conversations, grows us as men and as Masons.
I agree with you. I think that in many cases, the prohibition against discussing politics in Lodge is misunderstood.
We are, as everyone knows, prohibited from talking about partisan political things in Lodge.
But that doesn't mean that we can't or shouldn't talk about the fundamentals of legitimate government, or the seemingly impossible issues of the day.
If our Founding Fathers never talked about what makes a government legitimate with their Lodge Brothers, they would have never been able to develop the foundations upon which our Republic stands.
Likewise, if the Shriners never talked about the failure of our society to properly provide the most needy children with the finest health care, the Shriners Hospitals would have never been founded.
As I drive through Seattle today, I see the most amazing buildings. Edifices built and owned by some of the richest corporations and individuals in the world. Yet at the base of those very buildings, I see tarps strung up, with people living under them. Heck, I see this stuff in my own rural little town. One morning this past week I had a clearly mentally ill homeless person walking back and forth in front of my house, apparently screaming at himself. On my block is another kind of homeless person, a young person, living in his car while he attends the college across the street from me.
Should we be discussing these things in our Lodges? Darn straight we should.
Would doing so violate the prohibition against political discussion? No. We are charged as Masons to work to improve society. In order to do that, we need to both understand the problems society faces, and come up with workable ways to help.
Could doing so violate the prohibition against political discussion. Yes. It could easily devolve into discussion about the positions taken by political parties, candidates, or become uncivil as some questioned the motives of others.
How do we prevent that from happening? Through the Master controlling the discussion, and keeping it within due bounds.
There are many Brothers who have opinions with which I disagree, and they, in turn disagree with my opinions. This is the source of social discourse. We can learn to disagree without being disagreeable. We all have ideas and opinions, which we can support with accredited source material. That doesn't mean that the other fellow is necessarily wrong. It simply means that we have differing views. Some of those views are based in emotion, rather than in fact. I think that's the main reason that politics and religion are taboo topics in the Lodge Room. Civility is the key to unlocking reasonable social discourse--discussion. According to Diogenes Laërtius, when Plato gave the tongue-in-cheek definition of man as "featherless bipeds," Diogenes plucked a chicken and brought it into Plato's Academy, saying, "Behold! I've brought you a man," and so the Academy added "...with broad flat nails" to the definition. [Source: WikiPedia] Is homo sapiens, in fact a chicken? No. But, by Plato's definition, he is. So we have a discussion, and more likely, a lively one at that. So many of our ideas depend on definition. And among Brethren, we must agree to disagree, with civility.
The "Value of Masonry" consists of several concepts: 1. Trust and Respect. 2. Know thy self. The Mason that has internalized "Trust and Respect" and "Knows Himself" has Mastered Masonry
"How do we teach this to initiates"? We do not. Initiates come to us full-grown men, with tendencies, backgrounds, and histories that are typically more influenced by their upbringing and community than us.
Teaching them how to do these things is the wrong approach, rather all I think we can do is to encourage their best impulses.
Their impulses in turn are shaped by the age they're living through. The Post WWII social situation was drastically different than it is today. Freemasonry may have lasted for centuries, but it always has to surf the waves of whatever's happening in broader society. What's happening right now is deep discord.
Do you think that Freemasonry can help to heal that division and discord, or do you feel that it is beyond our capacity? I wonder about that quite frequently
Can we help? Yes. Can we heal it? Hard no. If you're familiar with chemistry, I think of it as sort of like a buffer in the solution. The pH of society is getting pretty badly out of whack with discord, fracture, etc. Attempting to cultivate an environment where people with dissenting religious or political views are still treated with respect - I would hope - makes it harder for things to get worse.
We still have to resist the invasion of that tendency though. Intolerance is the norm today on all sides, and I really do think the membership's impulses are shaped by the age they're living through. This is dangerous because society can transform Freemasonry as easily as the other way around, without proper vigilance, such as guarding the west gate, reinforcing certain cultural values of Masonry, and so on.
I would bet that most members can see this among their own brethren on their Facebook feeds day by day -- divisive political division online, followed by hopefully a different attitude in lodge.
The way I figure it, Freemasons being a part of the society they live in is both a strength and a weakness; the same thing that lets us contribute back to our communities is what infiltrates us when the wider zeitgeist is going through some nasty times.
Thank you for this. The perspective you share here is quite wise I think.