I am an ardent supporter of fraternal bonding. I really like to see brothers opening out to Society, through Charity, Masonic cookouts, Masonic Motorcycle Clubs, social events, etc. It is the American Way, stating that Freemasonry is an integral part and a constituent of what is the American Nation today. A Nation fathered by enlightened brothers who wanted to let Liberty and Equality flourish in a new, fertile land.
However, my dearest and only reader, as you may already have suspected, I am, by nature, a devil’s Advocate. I constantly question myself, as well as my brethren, to ascertain that our path leads us always towards the Eternal Light. It would be futile for each one of us, to strive for more Light when we have taken the wrong path in our quest for it.
It would be useful, therefore, to examine some historical data, regarding the influence of Freemasonry to the development of our Western culture. However, given the fact that (after many technical publications I had in my career) I am a lazy bum who wouldn’t cite a bibliographical reference to save his life, I will have to exploit whatever has been hastily stored in my brain, right next to that killer Texas chili recipe and the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
It all boils down to a simple statement: Freemasonry has been the Driving Force behind the Enlightenment of the 18th and 19th centuries. It helped abolish the feudalism and the oppression of the peoples of the Western World and in that capacity instigated the great independence revolutions that took place in America and Europe. It has been the womb that gave birth to new, revolutionary ideas that helped shape the world as we know it. It was not the Lever, but the Leverage Point for these changes. And we, as Masons, have any right to feel proud of our predecessors and their deeds.
This pride, however, brings responsibility. Who am I to fill Benjamin Franklin’s or Voltaire’s shoes, if all I can do for my Fraternity is to organize a successful BBQ event, or ride a Harley with Freemasonry’s emblems stuck on its tailpipe? In short, the constant question to my conscience, as a Mason, is whether there is something more substantial that we can do, in order to justify our identity.
During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church utilized a fairly simple and straightforward message, which would be quite understandable by the illiterate masses: “If you are not obedient to the Church, the lords of your land and Authority in general, you will be condemned and blacklisted as a sinner. You will go to Hell, where thousands of demons will torture you till the end of time. Is that what you really want? Or you’d prefer to be silent and obedient and ensure a seat next to Abraham and Jacob?”
The message was very simple and exceptionally potent, especially with the “encouragement” of the Holy Inquisition, reserved for some skeptics. And that message’s influence continued undeterred up to the time of the birth of the enlightenment movements in Europe, most of which emanated by the ideals of Freemasonry.
The social structure of the 18th and 19th centuries was such that the same part of the society that had the biggest influence was at the same time the part that fed the structure of the Freemasonry organizations. Only the privileged and the literate could participate in our Fraternity and those were the same people who comprised the ruling cast of the society, at that time. It was, therefore, considerably easier to bring change, since that change was fought and decided at the top of the social pyramid.
What is happening today? My guess is that it’s always easier to convince the masses to adopt a revolutionary change that will ensure their human rights and civil liberties, than to bring change to a typically free and advanced society that has been buried underneath its own garbage. Furthermore, the movers and shakers of today’s society may be people which do not give a fart in a bottle about all these ideals and their only interest is to buy that 200-ft yacht they were invited at their buddy’s party (fully equipped with all those gorgeous ladies on the deck).
We do not strive anymore to bring change to a corrupt Constitution or bring down a totalitarian Regime. Our western republics have almost excellent constitutions and we live in democratic societies governed by elected fellow citizens. And still, some things seem to go totally wrong in our little Paradise.
Okay, most of my learned readers (you see, I am an optimist to use plural on the term “reader”) must have already suspected that I am trying to re-invent the wheel. I hope they show a little patience and not let me write all these in vain, since I am getting to the point in a while...
Man, according to Aristotle, is a Political Creature. This characterization includes the inborn tendency of every free-thinking man to utilize philosophy, in order to categorize and assimilate all the information he receives from his environment. It is the process that helps Man put this information at work in a greater ideological context, thus defining his position in Society and Nature. It is our descent to the depth of our Conscience and our watching of the natural phenomena, in order to find the Light.
What could happen, however, when the rate of the information provided to us, is far greater that our ability to ingest it? What might happen when these pieces of information are so overwhelming in their number that they pass “unfiltered” into our brain, since there is no more time available for us to analyze each and every one and include them in our personal system of ideas and beliefs?
In my discussions with many young people, I’ve heard them boasting that there is almost no information that they cannot find in the Internet. In order to save some time, I shall concur to that. However, I wonder, how many of these young people (and us, as well) have wondered, which of these pieces of information may be wrong, half-truths or belonging to the sphere of urban legends? Do we really possess the capacity to analyze all these, or our brain is already fried and we have reached the point that we have an anxiety attack, every time a Dairy Queen employee asks us whether we want vanilla, strawberry or chocolate shake?
Have we reached a point that Freemasonry has nothing more to offer to the enlightenment of people and it can now rest, in the role of a peculiar Gentlemen’s Club, with funny-looking aprons, handshakes and picnics? Not that I have anything against cookouts, I can pig-out with the best of them, but I still see all these activities as cheap filler for a very real Void.
“So, Mr. Wise guy, what do you suggest we do?” I know this question comes naturally to your mind. Assuming that we are all intelligent people and utilizing Socrates’ methodology, I will have to ask you a few questions first:
- Are you convinced that this information storm we receive, has increased our knowledge?
- Do you believe that this multitude of information has rendered you more capable of distinguishing True from False?
- Do you believe that all this information contains the tools that will help you utilize it for the benefit of your mental and spiritual advancement?
- Do you suspect, sometimes, that some of this information may be “cooked” by Perception Management techniques, to lead you to pre-defined conclusions, to the benefit of certain people and/or organizations?
- Do you sense that a lot of this unfiltered information aims at causing a sense of fear to its recipient, since fear is the best tool to direct the masses to certain decisions and conclusions? Is it possible that we have become a flock of sheep, directed by the stick of the shepherd?
- Is it possible that this unbelievable mass and rate of information may hide large quantities of “toxins”, which your critical capacity is insufficient to isolate, anymore?
- How can we characterize this process, if not “New Dark Ages”? Is it possible that Man escaped the old-time feudalism, only to fall into a new type of oligarchy, led by people who know in advance what is actually true and what is “glass beads”?
A goldfish may die if you feed it too little or too much and its memory lasts for about 3 seconds. How much can we become like a goldfish, without our knowledge?
A lot of businessmen will argue that “Information is Gold” and I shall agree to that, with the provision that this information must also be true, otherwise it becomes just another tool to direct the masses, as we have seen so many times, happening.
Therefore, we, as informed people, must look for those tools that will allow us to distinguish the Truth when we see it.
To attach ourselves to any kind of political or religious Dogma is as useful as to own a thermometer that shows only 97,6°F, regardless of the actual body temperature. These systems of belief are in dire need of free thinking, therefore they cannot be trusted in an ever-changing environment, except for peace-of-mind purposes.
On the other hand, accepting everything as True is the same as getting candies from strange men on the street, a habit your mom warned you sternly against.
Of course, rejecting everything as False shall lead you to wear peculiar black clothes and silver scull pennants and listen to Gothic Rock.
Therefore, the proposal of Freemasonry for Reason, knowledge of ourselves and examining of the natural phenomena may be a quite viable alternative.
What could be a bigger Liberty that our capacity to think freely and decide correctly within a tempest of misinformation?
What could be a bigger Equality than the equality of reasonable and well-informed people, communicating with each other?
Finally, how can we feel Fraternity if we cannot trust our brother that he is talking to us straight from his heart?
Therefore, if we really want to uphold the spirit of our predecessors in Freemasonry, we must re-direct our efforts to teaching Reason to people, all over the world. Education, free thinking and questioning of all types of doctrines will be the tools to avoid these New Dark Ages and we, as Freemasons, should be leading the way. On the other hand, these cookouts seem a good idea too...
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