Peace
War can never be seen as an opportunity
I was enjoying my morning coffee, with my morning local newspaper, when I ran across the following quote:
“…recognize the opportunity we have at relatively little expense in defeating our long-time adversary, Russia…”
-Letter to the Editor, Centralia Chronicle, September 27, 2023
War can be justified. War can be necessary. But war can never be an opportunity.
To view war as an opportunity is evil.
To view war by financial costs instead of human costs is evil.
According to Reuters, Russian dead are estimated to be around 120,000 people, with an additional 170,000 wounded. Ukrainian deaths are pegged at near 70,000 with an additional 100,000 wounded.
Actual numbers are thought to be higher, because it is believed that the Russian government under counts its casualties, and the Ukrainian government does not officially report them.
Whatever the true numbers might be, we know that it is around 200,000 dead.
That part of Europe is once again a human slaughterhouse, with the stench of blood wafting upwards to prove that humanity has not yet learned to live in peace.
But Freemasonry stands for peace. Not peace at all costs for sometimes war is just and sometimes war is necessary. Freemasonry must however stand against seeing war as an opportunity, and must stand against measuring war in terms of dollars.
None can morally argue that 200,000 dead is of ‘relatively little expense.’ The mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, the friends of all those dead would speak otherwise, and their words would come forth from the place of angels.
This post is not about the war in Ukraine. It is about evil. It is about evil thought that was published in my local newspaper. It is important because evil thoughts lead to evil deeds.
Good and evil, light and darkness do exist in our world. It is our duty, as Freemasons to call them out when we see them. Doing so when the thought is an expression of evil is much more effective than trying to do so after that evil thought has materialized into evil action.
“Masonry is the great Peace Society of the world. Wherever it exists, it struggles to prevent international difficulties and disputes; and to bind Republics, Kingdoms, and Empires together in one great band of peace and amity. It would not so often struggle in vain, if Masons knew their power and valued their oaths.” -Albert Pike
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I would like to respectfully suggest that making cost-benefit analyses over any human life or groups of lives, that commodifying human beings, is also evil. The Vienna/Austrian business school is entirely amoral and that is what evil needs to thrive.
Emeth your shared thoughts are powerful as always. Our oaths we have all taken W of the A speak of Brotherly Love etc... In my Jurisdiction the WM's Oath upon his Installation as the incoming WM speaks of not getting involved in P's and Q's and supporting the Constitution of our country. All R, Code of C ect in my jurisdiction is silent on involvement in evil enterprise.
I do not want to speak on politics and that is never my intent however I will speak on Freemason's getting sucked into the politics of our nation. Lodges, Brothers were divided a few years back on political beliefs and at least in my jurisdiction it caused issues within the 4 Walls of F. There is still serious division comparable to the Civil War that caused division within F.
Evils of the world were allowed within, the 'hold outs' in the conservative states have hardened hearts still and countries are murdering each other over nothing. Freemason's and their families suffer because of these evils.
If all of us could live in peace and stay away from evils of the world we all would be unified as a whole.
This will never happen. Evil creeps into all aspects of our lives. Our lodges are a microcosm of countries at war.
F's live by rules which are designed to place us all on the L.
If these people and nations could only live their lives by what we know as F the earth would be at peace.
Evil is here to stay. Brothers are given the tools for Brotherly Love, R and T but many leave them in the box they were given and they become forgotten and ignored.
Evil is everywhere. Hopefully not within the 4 W's of F.
Peace.