Thank you for this Brother. I'd forgotten until you made this comment, but my Lodge actually had a conversation about this some years ago. Some of our members include the pause (comma) when saying it, others do not, and you are right, it does change the meaning.
While I agree that passions in general should be subdued (but not eliminated), there are times in our lives when passions have to rule your life. Take for example, the founding fathers. Their passion for taking over their own fates and the fate of the country from England was paramount. Enough for them to risk their very lives to do so.
Our constitution originally didn't have any verbiage concerning sedition. Jefferson felt very strongly that the citizens reserved the right to rise up against a tyrannical government. Those ideas didn't get codified until after the civil war.
Anyway, for masonry, I still need to temper my passions towards the fraternity, not for anyone else's sake but mine. Learning that not everyone shares my love and passion for the craft is a hard lesson to take. If I don't I'd probably just walk away in disgust. I'm a relatively new master mason, having only been around less than 10 years and time still hasn't diminished my enthusiasm enough to develop the apathy I see in so many other masons. Yet.
And as much as you like it you would have to REALLY try to chase that one away.
I am glad I did that when I was 19 years old and it was because I wanted to play City League basketball and now 46 years later I sure am glad I did since I wouldn't want to add that to my current health problems and we would rather see you doing your Masonic work for many more decades.
Thank you for writing this as I really needed to read this today. I have been meditating on the Rider Waite Devil Tarot card ever since Tuesday night when we were looking at it during dinner at ritual practice. I am often my own worst enemy. One of my favorite parts of our ritual is when we say to subdue our passions. I have to constantly remind myself that the Middle Path of Wisdom is a narrow one. I can only hope to be aware enough on a daily basis to subdue my passion and try to improve myself as a Mason and Man!!! Be well my Brothers+++
I think the Stoics got it right, "The disposition to make a judgment disobedient to reason is the psychic disturbance the Stoics called passion (pathos). Since passion is an impulse (a movement of the soul) which is excessive and contrary to reason, it is irrational and contrary to nature." Remembering that our forefathers were the product of the Enlightenment, and well educated in the classics, i am guessing this line of reasoning informed them.....I think it is interesting that the greek word for passion "pathos", is also the word for 'suffering' and the root of 'pathology.' It makes Jospeh Campbell's, "follow your passion" , something to think about..... From an ethical and moral point of view, then the happiness that comes from an indulgence in passion, might in fact ultimately be suffering. That said, wouldn't a passion for 'healing' be a good thing? Masybe the issue is the reason to be a healer. are we doing it to heal, and of so is passion the right word (maybe an instinct to compassion would be better), or if we are doing it to inflate our ego, in which case passion is deffinitely the right word and suffering will result.
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.
Thank you for this Brother. I'd forgotten until you made this comment, but my Lodge actually had a conversation about this some years ago. Some of our members include the pause (comma) when saying it, others do not, and you are right, it does change the meaning.
While I agree that passions in general should be subdued (but not eliminated), there are times in our lives when passions have to rule your life. Take for example, the founding fathers. Their passion for taking over their own fates and the fate of the country from England was paramount. Enough for them to risk their very lives to do so.
Our constitution originally didn't have any verbiage concerning sedition. Jefferson felt very strongly that the citizens reserved the right to rise up against a tyrannical government. Those ideas didn't get codified until after the civil war.
Anyway, for masonry, I still need to temper my passions towards the fraternity, not for anyone else's sake but mine. Learning that not everyone shares my love and passion for the craft is a hard lesson to take. If I don't I'd probably just walk away in disgust. I'm a relatively new master mason, having only been around less than 10 years and time still hasn't diminished my enthusiasm enough to develop the apathy I see in so many other masons. Yet.
YES MW......tobacco IS your Devil
And as much as you like it you would have to REALLY try to chase that one away.
I am glad I did that when I was 19 years old and it was because I wanted to play City League basketball and now 46 years later I sure am glad I did since I wouldn't want to add that to my current health problems and we would rather see you doing your Masonic work for many more decades.
Thank you for writing this as I really needed to read this today. I have been meditating on the Rider Waite Devil Tarot card ever since Tuesday night when we were looking at it during dinner at ritual practice. I am often my own worst enemy. One of my favorite parts of our ritual is when we say to subdue our passions. I have to constantly remind myself that the Middle Path of Wisdom is a narrow one. I can only hope to be aware enough on a daily basis to subdue my passion and try to improve myself as a Mason and Man!!! Be well my Brothers+++
I think the Stoics got it right, "The disposition to make a judgment disobedient to reason is the psychic disturbance the Stoics called passion (pathos). Since passion is an impulse (a movement of the soul) which is excessive and contrary to reason, it is irrational and contrary to nature." Remembering that our forefathers were the product of the Enlightenment, and well educated in the classics, i am guessing this line of reasoning informed them.....I think it is interesting that the greek word for passion "pathos", is also the word for 'suffering' and the root of 'pathology.' It makes Jospeh Campbell's, "follow your passion" , something to think about..... From an ethical and moral point of view, then the happiness that comes from an indulgence in passion, might in fact ultimately be suffering. That said, wouldn't a passion for 'healing' be a good thing? Masybe the issue is the reason to be a healer. are we doing it to heal, and of so is passion the right word (maybe an instinct to compassion would be better), or if we are doing it to inflate our ego, in which case passion is deffinitely the right word and suffering will result.