There seems to be more instances of...."I gotcha moments" than ever before. Perhaps it's just a sign of the times and societal behaviors leaking into the fraternity.
In years gone by it was a rare instance that a brother was brought up on "charges"....now it seems that the first conclusion is to bring charges against a brother. Admittedly there are times when that is the only course of action to rectify certain situations. For the most part it's an over-reaction to a brother's conduct....believe me, nothing good happens when charges are brought, it can tear a lodge apart and cause separation among the brethren that may never heal.
While attending a Master Mason Degree this week, I was reminded of one of the most powerful things we are taught......to whisper good counsel in the ear of a brother.
It seems that rather than whisper good counsel to a brother about his actions or lack of actions he is allowed to continue on until there is no return. There is a total breakdown in communicating what is expected or perceived to be acceptable. I've experienced this myself on more than one occasion during my Masonic journey. It can be very hurtful and a huge blow to endure, and make one question one's position in the fraternity.
On a much smaller scale I'm reminded of WB Bennie King and the way he would correct a brother's use of a wrong word or phrase during a degree. During a break or after the degree WB Bennie would take the brother aside away from everyone else and correct the brother. The only people who knew of the corrective counseling was the brother and WB Bennie, he fully understood the concept of whispering good counsel. So many are so quick to correct and interrupt the degree in the process, why?
We are taught to "ever" whisper good counsel....ever means at ALL times; always; continuously; at any time; in any possible case; by any chance. I think the word ever pretty well sums up when we are supposed to whisper that good counsel. Too often we forget this basic lesson we are taught in the Master Mason degree.
Whisper is used intentionally in this lesson to demonstrate that the counsel should be between only the two brothers and not for everyone to hear. To whisper is to utter in soft, hushed sounds. In other words a private low key conversation between two brothers.
The whispered words or counsel consists of advice, instruction, or opinion.These words are delivered in a friendly manner. Friendly is defined as helpful or supportive, and manner is the way of doing things. This is done to remind the brother of his errors.....as the writers of the ritual knew and we also know if we are honest with ourselves, most of the time we know of our errors and sometimes need to be reminded of them.
We are to "aid his reformation".....in other words help the brother to improve what is wrong, to abandon the wrong way of conduct. All while giving him "due", or what is owed to him....and "timely notice", an opportune or well timed communication. That he may "ward" off; protect, guard, avert, repel, or turn aside...approaching "danger"; a liability, harm, risk, peril, or bad situation.
This is a very special time in Masonry....our numbers have shrank but the fraternity is greater than any of us and has a unique way of surviving. The fraternity of Free & Accepted Masons has survived through the ages and has been challenged in many different ways. We are now in the information age and the men that are joining seem to want to learn the true meaning of Freemasonry. The meaning is right there for all of us to enjoy and learn from.
Too often the basic lessons taught are the ones most easily forgotten. We need to take brothers aside and in the most friendly manner remind them of their errors and aid their reformation. We also need to be man and brother enough to receive counsel from another brother....to listen to his whispered counsel and accept his friendly manner of correcting our errors. Sometimes it's better to receive than to give.
We need to step away from the Ah, I gotcha moments.....and remember Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth......if we get back to the basics and truly practice brotherly love we will surely grow personally and the numbers will come as a result.
1 comment:
Very nice post WB Dave
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