No Second Chances

He had known about the assignment for weeks. He didn’t want to do it, he had little interest in old English literature and nothing seemed more boring or pointless. Wrestling practice, Sophia Calloway, and several other things in life had taken his attention and upon close inspection by him, seemed more worthy of his time.

So, in the end, on Wednesday he showed up with no paper in hand, and a really great story. Mr. Philips, the 22 year old recent college graduate and newly crowned high school teacher, had learned how important self esteem is to his students and he provided an out. He would hate to see this young man fail and damage his ego…er um self esteem. So, more time is given with little thought to those that actually completed the assignment on time.

We had Dr. Casey Blood speaking in lodge the other day. Dr. Blood is a quantum physicist and Sufi mystic. He was relating an excellent presentation of the mathematical evidence for the existence of a soul and explaining his belief systems for what might happen to such a thing in this cycle of life.

The question of a “hell” came up as well as reincarnation and Dr. Blood’s response has caused me to contemplate much. He said, stating it as his opinion, “I think you get one shot.” He followed up with the belief that if your soul fails to progress it simply ceases to exist. Can you imagine…one shot or you simply cease.

I wondered how much different our lives would be if all things were approached with such speculation. How often would we choose to remain idle or ignorant if failure meant that we would simply no longer be?

There is a lesson in Masonry that goes hand in hand with such a philosophy. Work. Masonry is work, progression is work, self improvement is work, raising a Brother is work, morality is work. Labor is revered in the Craft, so much so that our allegories are inundated with it. We labor in the quarry of life and spirituality with our respective “working tools.” Masonry is work.

I thought of the times in my life that my actions or words were based on the very fact that I believed I could take it back or repair it later. The consequences, weighed even briefly, seemed tolerable and the “right” or moral choice was not picked.

I mused on the times that I had neglected something important in my life with the belief that I will choose the other “next time.” What if there were never a “next time.” How many times had my beautiful little boy run up to his daddy for a little playtime and I refused because I was tired or busy? What if there was never a “next time.”

What would my priorities be if there was never a next time?

There are teachings in Masonry about the ideal man, three times he is given a chance to fail, and three times, even unto death he chooses morality, courage, and secrecy.

I decided that day that I would try a little experiment. I decided that I would stop living my life like I might get a second chance. I would stop believing that finality was negotiable. I would live like every chip from my rough ashlar would count like the first chip and that it might be the last.

The relevance of Masonry? In a world where self esteem is more important than the truth, in a world where the third chance is the norm, in a world where consequences are subjective and up for compromise, in a world where justice depends on the quality of the attorney……I will choose to live my life like a Mason…I will choose to do the right thing first, for its own sake. I will fail and I will stand ready for the consequences and I will continue to work, without compromise, for that perfect stone.

The Real Treasure

He was an old man by most standards and few would feel comfortable in a debate of historical fact, as it seemed that he had personally witnessed most that had occurred. He was a presence to say the least. Tall and thin as the years had withered away at the once opposing man, but it was clear he should not be approached with an attitude of arrogance or a lack of respect.

He seemed in a perpetual state of grumpiness. Not because of his demeanor, few actually had the courage to approach the man long enough to get a true read on his demeanor. It was the eternal frown that his weathered face now wore as the wrinkles around his mouth and eyes made his eyes appear half closed and his mouth downturned. It was not his true expression, if one had the courage to peer deep into his eyes there was fire, spirit, and passion—time had little effect on this spirit of the man. If anything, it had grown from what was a spark of soul to a full on explosion of wisdom, thought, understanding, and experience. If Masonry , in deed, had a hidden treasure, this was it. More valuable that any paltry pile of gold and silver. This was the kind of treasure that possessed the value that would be weighed when a man faced Peter at the Gate.

Call it courage, I call it Scotch. Anyway, if one had enough of it to decide that the mystery was too much and struck up conversation with this pillar of the southeast, this man who never missed a meeting, what could he learn? What had this man learned that we could learn from him?
· Life is short, find a job that makes you happy and do it well.
· Spend as much time with your family as you possibly can. They will pass away into that next existence and your memory of them will hardly be sufficient to fill the void that the richness of their personality and loving spirit filled in your life.
· Don’t fear death, fear your own cowardice. You can live a long life if you do what is right regardless of fear, but you will do little if fear guides your intentions.
· Regardless of what you call it, sitting on your arse all day, does make you lazy. The worst thing about laziness it that it effects the mind and most lazy people are ignorant. It is okay to confront ignorant people. Someone needs to.
· Seeing a newborn child that is yours is the closest you get to God.
· Swearing makes you sound like an idiot sometimes, sometimes it is the most effective way to communicate, in a swift manner, your intentions.
· Speak well of those who need a boost, don’t waste your energy speaking ill of those who deserve it. Their actions speak for themselves and allowing them to show their true colors does not reflect poorly upon you like speaking ill frequently does.
· There are paradoxes and it will only give you a headache trying to resolve all of them.
· Make love a lot. You will miss it.

What is the relevance of Masonry? A young man sitting at a local eatery, drink in hand, speaking with a man he would never have met otherwise and being changed by someone who has the ability to change you if you have the courage to listen and remembering, with pride, that this man considers you an equal, a brother, and the cornerstone of the next generation.

---The Relevant Mason……who still has much to learn, experience, and embrace..........

The Necessity of Consequence

We learn from the time of our youth that we must turn the other cheek, we must do unto others as we would like done unto us, respect your elders, forgiveness is divine. These are all laudable pursuits and ideals and I mean in no way here to demean their importance, but I wonder if we have balance in our lives sometimes as we approach these principles.

In the local paper I read that a man was arrested for beating up a suspected burglar breaking into his vehicle http://www.9news.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=79582

The report with the Associated Press states:

Twenty-six-year-old Shane Kramer is in fair condition at Medical Center of the Rockies, four days after he was beaten.

Authorities say 28-year-old Gerald Oliveri of Loveland was arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault. He is being held in the Larimer County jail on $250,000 bond.

Oliveri has no listed home phone number, and it's not immediately known if he has an attorney.

Police say Oliveri suspected Kramer of breaking into a car early Saturday. There were conflicting reports on whether the car belonged to Oliveri or his girlfriend.

Police spokesman Benjamin Hurr says Kramer was bleeding and had severe injuries when officers arrived.

No charges have been filed against Kramer.

Colorado's "Make My Day" law gives property owners the right to use deadly force in their homes to protect themselves or their property from crime.

Hurr says the law does not apply in this case because the incident was not in a home.

Have we lost all sight of Justice and Consequence? It appears that we only have the right to pursue happiness if some hopped up methamphetamine user doesn’t decide to try and take it first and then if does, don’t get in his way.

Some Grand Lodges in Masonry have gone the route of removing the ancient penalties from the rituals and obligations and I believe this follows the same line of foolishness and illogical behavior.

Look, (if you have been reading the blog you understand I need to use a food analogy or two or I just don’t feel right), arresting the company that prints the nutritional information on the outside of a candy bar for making people fat does nothing to make people skinny and it targets the wrong person. It is kind of like arresting a man who beats up a burglar in hopes to decrease violence.

There is a certain kind of violence of spirit and assault on the psyche as well, and if you have ever had to sleep in a home the night after it was burglarized, then you understand this is no victimless crime. It robs you of security and piece of mind and these wounds can take much longer to heal than a good butt kicking.

When did forgiveness come to mean apathy? When did freewill become equal to a lack of consequence? Freewill can not exist in the absence of consequence. When it does we have anarchy and the mentally or physically weak are no longer free to act under the oppression of mob rule (think Hiramic Legend here Brothers).

We do a disservice to ourselves when a cowardice of spirit allows us to convince ourselves that because the business of justice and consequence is difficult and lacks fun, that it is wrong, cruel, or unnecessary.

The lamb distrust and dislikes the sheep dog, they are big, they bark, they are scary and they remind him that the wolf is ever present. Pretending that the wolf will only steal one lamb and you are most likely not the lamb as a reason to dismiss or punish the sheep dog has the same logic of the tales of old when the city sacrificed a virgin to the town monster. The true sustenance of the monster is fear.

Right and good does not always equate to happy and fun. They are all exclusive and there are more than a few things that fall into the fun category that have never even scene the library that lends the book called “good.”

Masonry provides the penalties of the obligation for a reason. With freewill there needs and should be consequence…good and bad. Remember reward is not a guarantee or an entitlement. The minute we convince ourselves that negative consequences are not necessary, the rule and guide of our conduct is out of balance.