INVEST THOUGHT, STUDY, AND REFLECTION TO REAP
by Jack R. Levitt, PGM (California)
Freemasonry's truths are covered with symbolism and its insight with
allegory.
It is necessary to look behind the fact to see the truth and beyond the
symbol
to see the reality. This requires thought, study, reflection and an
investment
of time and effort.
Frederick Schopenhauer once said that philosophy must be understood by
experience and thought, not as a mere passive reading or study. This is
equally
true of Freemasonry. The lectures of each degree of Freemasonry were drafted
carefully in the shape of a series of moral principles and divided into
sections. They are designed so that each Brother should be well acquainted
with
each before he be admitted to a higher degree. They were also designed in
light
of an understanding that knowledge acquired by graduated studies and in
detail
is a species of wealth which is endurable, and cannot be taken away.
Although the Brethren are urged to practice out of the Lodge the lessons
learned therein, often the lessons are not sufficiently emphasized, are
insufficiently explained, or are glossed over in the interest of time. Often,
the goal is to complete the degrees in a short period of time, rather than to
allow a contemplative period to digest the lessons and to interpret the
symbols
and allegories. The result is often a failure to learn the lessons and thus
to
put in the ranks some Brothers who do the Craft little credit and who are
either ignorant of or indifferent to, even the purposes of the Order. Quick
fixes, like fool's gold, are attractive and seemingly valuable until time and
study prove them otherwise. Unearned advancement, like undeserved honors,
degrades and diminishes.
One reason given for the goal to rush through the degrees is that men today
lack the time to take the degrees in the manner used for hundreds of years.
However, men make time for things they value. Unhappily, many prospective
candidates are not informed that Freemasonry contains the secrets of
successful
and happy living, that it shows the way to allow the spiritual to overcome
the
material and thus to improvement, and that it supplies the answer to why we
are
here. Hence, its value is not readily apparent to them. Moreover, if men do
not
believe they want to take the time to attend a few meetings in order to
receive
the degrees in the traditional manner, or to prepare themselves for
advancement, they likely would not believe they want to make time to devote
to
Lodge attendance, Lodge activities, or to discovering the underlying
teachings
of the symbols and allegories and to thus obtain an understanding of the
truths
of Freemasonry.
The German philosopher Georg Hegel was once asked to describe philosophy in
one
sentence, but realizing its depth and complexity, he took forty volumes to do
so. He chose not to try to emulate the monk who, when asked to describe
Christianity while standing on one foot, said simply - "Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself."
Freemasonry can be described concisely. Some, attempting to do so, might say
that it is a way of life, while others that it is dedicated to the regeneration
of man and the reformation of human society. Others, in describing it, might
quote from ritual and state that Masonry:
1. is a series of allegories, the mere vehicles of great lessons in morality and
philosophy; or
2. has as the basis for its doctrine a firm belief in the existence of God
and
of the immortality of the soul and for its purpose the practice of the social
and moral virtues; or
3. is a progressive moral science taught by degrees; or
4. teaches us to subdue the passions, act upon the square, keep a tongue of
good report, maintain secrecy and practice charity.
Such descriptions, however accurate, are superficial. They merely communicate
some basic fundamentals or at best an overview. They only obliquely reference
a
few of Freemasonry's purposes and only sparsely some of its moral and
philosophical principles.
Anyone desiring to become useful to the science of Freemasonry and to be able
to apply it to enhance his living, cannot be content with a mere exposure to,
and a hasty and incomplete understanding of, the externals, but will examine
its esoteric secrets with enthusiasm. In doing so he will reap a full share
of
the blessings, which it is so well calculated to confer on society at large.
To
do so requires the thought, study and reflection necessary to look beyond the
presentation. Without doing so, he will likely remain almost totally ignorant
of the true principles of Freemasonry and of how to use them to produce a
beautiful and meaningful effect.
We are here to labor for liberation from ignorance, to overcome the base
passions, and to breach the bonds of limitation. It is necessary, therefore,
to
seek to be worthy of our immortal heritage, and to deserve the title of
Freemason, not merely to possess it. Our novitiates must be encouraged to
invest thought, study and reflection into learning and understanding the
principles and lessons of Freemasonry. In doing so they will not only be
wiser
and happier, but will truly be able, by the influence of the pure principles
of
Freemasonry, to display the beauties of holiness, to the honor of the
Almighty
Father of the Universe.
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