“What came you here to do?”
“To learn to subdue my passions and improve myself in Masonry.”
The quotes above are illustrative of one of the very first lessons we learn within a Masonic Lodge, and in Washington we hear them over and over again, every time the Lodge is opened on the Entered Apprentice Degree.
So, what are ‘passions?’
In my view, our ‘passions’ are things that we are really, really into.
In some cases, these ‘passions’ might well be positive in our lives. I can’t deny that Freemasonry is quite obviously one of my own ‘passions.’ I think about it every single day, I write about it almost every single day, and I do something Masonic on more days than not. It’s not harmful to me however, in fact, my involvement is beneficial.
But, different people have different situations. If some men were as into Freemasonry as I am, and as passionate about it, it would cause them problems in their lives. For example, with their wives. My wife, and my daughters enjoy Freemasonry almost as much as I do. They enjoy my Lodge Brothers, and their families as much as I do. Because of that, I’m not harming my family with my rather extreme Masonic involvements. Other Masons might not be similarly situated.
‘Passions’ can also be negative. Tobacco is a huge ‘passion’ of mine. I love the stuff, in virtually all of its forms. I’ve got to say, I’m an addict. That isn’t good. It costs a great deal of money. It’s rather messy. It’s bad for a guy. All in all, it is a negative in my life.
Other Masons will have different ‘passions’ than I. Overly indulging anger is never good. Regularly drinking to excess is not good. Sleeping around is not good. For that matter, porn can become an addiction, as can social media.
Anything taken too far, anything that moves towards the realm of addiction is bad. This is what our ritual is trying to communicate to us.
Our ‘passions’ are bad when they move towards the realm of addiction, because in a very real sense they are enslaving us.
Don’t think I’m a slave to the tobacco? Well, that’s cause you’ve never seen me at midnight when I suddenly realize that my can is empty and there is no more in the freezer. It doesn’t matter if I want to spend $75.00 or not every single time I drive through Tacoma, I am compelled to do so.
Now in all honesty, I don’t worry about my tobacco addiction very much. It’s an addiction to ‘dip,’ and dip just isn’t all that dangerous. Certainly it is magnitudes safer than the cigarettes it replaced for me. Plus I figure we all get one of these little addictions. I’ve got my tobacco, Melinda’s got her wine. But we don’t want more than one of these bad habits, more than one and a person truly does start to ruin his life, he does slowly become a slave to his ‘passions.’
Masonry seeks freedom for men. Those who wrote our rituals and devised our lessons so long ago understood that man could very easily enslave himself through his own ‘passions.’ This is why one of our very first lessons in Lodge, and a lesson repeated over and over, reminds us that we must learn to subdue these ‘passions.’ We must take the Common Gavel, and use that tool to break the habit of indulging these negative ‘passions’ as best we are able.
Our RW Brother A. E. Waite symbolized this extremely well for us when he and Pamela Smith created their famous Tarot in 1909.
We see two humans, enslaved by the chains locked around their necks. But it is made clear that the enslavement they endure is of their own making, because the chains are so large that they could simply reach up and slip them off. This they don’t do, allowing themselves to be enslaved by their ‘passions’ instead, with those ‘passions’ represented as the devil. I can’t imagine a more perfect illustration of an important Masonic lesson.
I try to remember, each day, to continue learning to subdue my ‘passions.’ By doing so, I not only become a better man, I also become a freer man. A man free of the control of negative influences.
This is a fine Masonic quest that we all do well to embrace.
I’m with you when it comes to Dip and Masonic involvement as a passion Most Worshipful.
As a mental exercise its great to think about how a comma may change the meaning of this. Adding a simple comma:
What came you here to do?
To learn to subdue my passions and improve my self in masonry.
vs
To learn, to subdue my passions and improve my self in masonry.
Think about the intent of those two statements used in the same context.