Last night my wife and I took a taxi from our apartment in Puerto Vallarta to one of the city’s fine restaurants. The taxi ride, in a little Toyota car was 60 Pesos, about 3 dollars. The driver was very nice and his car was clean, so I left a 40 Peso tip, for a total cost of 5 dollars to get from one end of the Romantic District to the other.
Very soon after we were seated, a family of six came in. Grandparents, parents, and two girls, both perhaps around age 10. Loud, boisterous, and obnoxious, it was obvious that they were the kind of tourists that give Americans a bad name.
Before they are even seated, Grandpa (large crucifix around his neck, go hypocrisy) is loudly and excitedly telling the gathered host and waiters how the taxi just tried to cheat him.
The taxi apparently tried to charge him 200 Pesos for his ride.
Melinda and I listened in relative horror as he recounted his tale of almost being robbed, and his bragging about ‘how he wasn’t a sucker, so just gave the guy 100 Pesos and told him to get lost.’
So the driver tried to charge him 10 dollars. He not only didn’t tip, he cheated the driver out of half the fare, paying a grand total of 5 bucks.
But here’s what else we heard, and what has to fit into this story:
His party was six people. So he couldn’t have come in a normal taxi. He would have had to come in a van. Vans cost significantly more.
Here’s the other thing we heard as he was bragging about being a thief:
He was coming from the Sheraton Resort. In the Hotel District. That meant that his taxi had to drive him through the Hotel District, through the Central District, and part way through the Romantic District. At least 4 or 5 times the distance our taxi had to drive us.
Here’s one other tidbit:
The first 12 days of December each year, there are very significant parades through Central Puerto Vallarta every afternoon, evening, and well into the night. It takes forever to get through the Central District. That’s actually the reason we went to the restaurant we did instead of our absolute favorite place, because we knew that we’d be sitting in traffic for probably an hour or more.
So that’s what this fellow did, and then he stiffed the taxi driver out of half of a 10 dollar fare.
And then he bragged about it.
We heard the waiters who were subjected to him muttering. We rather thought that their smart move would have been to refuse him service, lest they get stiffed on their bill, but they did serve them, and when they left it appeared as if he paid properly.
As Masons we have an obligation to not cheat our fellow man, but that isn’t solely a Masonic obligation. It is incumbent upon all of us as human beings.
It is also an obligation that we have as Americans, when traveling, especially when traveling to a very poor country. We want to have people around the world respect our nation, and view its people favorably. Just as one bad Mason can ruin the reputation of Freemasonry for dozens, maybe even hundreds of people, this man ruined the reputation of Americans for some. They will have seen him as a thief, and as a thief who bragged about his theft.
The 5 dollars he stole will make absolutely no difference in his life, or even in his day. Indeed, it won’t make a dent in whatever his daily bar bill at the fancy resort he is staying in. But it will have an impact, and not a small impact, on the man he stole from. In this city 5 dollars will almost buy a good dinner for a family of four. But those 5 dollars are awfully hard to come by. It was not an insignificant loss to the driver.
There is a lesson in all of this for us as Masons.
When we are out and about wearing our Masonic ring, or hat, or shirt, we must always remember that we are someone’s impression of Freemasonry. How we act while wearing our Masonic stuff, how we drive when our car sports a Masonic bumper sticker, will determine someone’s opinion of our Ancient Craft.
Will our actions cause them to see our institution as an honorable one, filled with good men, or will they cause others to see Masonry as something to be avoided.
When we are seen as Masons, are we seen as good men?
Serving in the military overseas (South Korea), you do indeed see some terrible behavior from americans towards the locals. What was worse, I saw women of color treating the Koreans like dirt, people that should absolutely know better. There were times I would just look at the poor Korean shop owner and shake my head.
It's the same all over, but our military are, for better or for worse, ambassadors to their host countries, and should walk and act as such. I was always kind and respectful when dealing with the Koreans (or anyone else when traveling in foreign countries) because, well, I should. In all my travels I've only been cross once, and that was towards an overzealous TSA agent doing a full body search because I forgot to take out a little chapstick tube out of my pants pocket.
So yes, how we treat others we come in contact every day does matter. It also matters regardless of who you are or who you represent. Leave a positive impression throughout life and try and make someone's day a little better. If we all did that, maybe the world would be a nicer place.
Two directions on this one, so I’ll address it in two messages.
I was in the city of Puerto Vallarta with several other Brothers for the Grand Lodge trip last year, featuring our very own MWB Cameron Bailey. Fortunately, I did not see such nasty behavior when I was down there – indeed, it was quite refreshing to enjoy the atmosphere due to the Lack of that rudeness.
One thing I was told over the years when you visit a foreign country is to learn the basics of the native language. So I did that, starting in earnest about 8 months before visiting. It worked pretty well, getting me from the Airport to the Hotel without using English. 161 pesos was the rate. It’s about your Approach. If you do your best to act like a guest, you will be much better accommodated than if you show up acting like an ogre. The same thing applies anywhere you go, whether you visit a foreign country or a neighboring town in your area.
In my work as a Barber, I’ve run across behavior similar to what MWB Cameron’s talking about from time to time. More often than I care to experience. I do not understand why people think it’s cool to brag about being immature and rude. It backfires in the long run, and accomplishes nothing positive. But what’s even worse is when a Brother decides to join them. One Brother (who shall obviously remain nameless) tells us of a story where he was driving a sports car across a few states when the manual transmission blows a leak and loses its oil. He pulls into a mechanic garage and tells the mechanic to fill the transmission with grease, and the young mechanic tells him that transmission takes oil, not grease. The Brother then proudly boasts how he chewed out that mechanic in every way imaginable and bullied him into filling the transmission with grease, and he was on his way and made it to his destination.
After about the 5th or 6th time he told that story over the years, there was a time when he told it in front of people we both knew, and I asked him if that mechanic was doing the Right Thing. He didn’t give a direct answer, so I asked again if the mechanic was doing what he was supposed to do. What if he gallantly filled the transmission with grease, the grease messed up the transmission, and you returned to the shop accusing the mechanic of ruining his car?
There were crickets for a few seconds, then the Brother responded in a manner that assured me I’ll never hear that story again. But frankly, my Brothers, we shouldn’t be behaving this way to begin with. Take a look at not only the Closing Charge, but also the Charges in each of the Three Degrees, as well as the Charges spoken during the Installation of Officers. Study them. Understand them. Then incorporate their principles and admonitions into your everyday life. You’ll become a good example of what a good citizen, and a good Mason should be. And this pertains to ALL of us.