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emeraldi42| A Sad Truth

Posted at: 3:26 pm

To start off, I must say that it is incredible how certain minds seem to flow along the same lines of thought even when they are not in direct contact.  I had an idea for this next blog when I saw that AEdifico had written his this morning and it turns out that the subject matter is very similar.

Earlier today I was reading my usual internet sites (news, masonic blogs, etc) when I came to one of my most favorite sites on the internet.  This site is basically a site with lists (most influential operas, greatest historical empires, worst natural disasters, etc) and it provides insight from the viewers in the comments section.  Today there was a fantastic list called “10 Books that Changed America”  and these were the author’s picks:

10 - Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

9 - The Clansman by Thomas Dixon Jr.

8 - The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

7 - The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas by Frederick Douglas

6 - Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

5 - Native Son by Richard Wright

4 - A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft

3 - The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

2 - Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

1 - Common Sense by Thomas Paine

This list I thought was great, it was well rounded, it illustrated that the word “influential” also applies to negative influence and it provided the viewer with a few titles they may not have read yet.

The Sad Truth of this list is that in the comments section for this entry, the first comment reads “Never heard of any of them…”  This users name ended in the number ‘87′ which can usually mean one of two things; that the user is 87 years old or that they were born in 1987.  I think they were born in 1987 which would make them either 20 or 21.  For someone 20-21 years old to have never heard of these books is downright sad.  This is a perfect example of how a poor education can lead to a full life of ignorance.  It’s a good thing there are societies like Freemasonry that are around to combat these educational shortcomings, or is there?

As you may already tell from my blogs “Suggested Reading List” and “In Case of Emergency Break Glass” that I am an avid reader and I understand that some people may not find the joy in reading the same way I do, but some things must be a given.  For example, Freemasons should be familiar with their VSL, Anderson’s Constitutions, The Regius Manuscript, and Morals and Dogma at the very least.  Some might say that these works are outdated, too cumbersome, too long, too uncomprehensible, etc.  To them I say; so what?  If you read a chapter in Morals and Dogma and don’t fully understand it the situation provides an excellent opportunity for discussion with your Brothers.  I have heard too many times that Morals and Dogma is too hard of a read without giving it a chance.  I lent out a copy of M&D once to a Brother who is not college educated, not an academic and not that well read.  He is your all-around simple, good Mason.  After he read a few bits of it he came back with an exceptional understanding of one of the chapters and we all had a great talk of it all.  He was under the impression that he wouldn’t be able to understand it so he avoided it.  Situations like these are too reminicient of the old salesman motto “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right”. 

This same attitude of “you can’t handle it” is the reason why schools ban books.  Students can’t handle the N-Word, or rape, or teen angst, or their own primordial nature.  So they shouldn’t read Huckleberry Finn, A Clockwork Orange, Catcher in the Rye or Lord of the Flies because they may just be a little too curious as to the nature of these books and put intructors on the spot and we can’t have that.  And what do we get after all these pillars of literary genius are pushed out of normal curriculum?  You get a 20-21 year old that has never heard of Common Sense.

My point in all this is that if we as a fraternity, in the realm of knowledge and the search for truth, fail to investigate, examine, meditate and discuss the elements of Masonic philosophy then we lose what makes us Freemasons.  Do not let the old tomes of Masonic past intimidate you, read them!  Talk to your Brothers about them, encourage them to read them as well.  If you follow blindly by what others tell you without question you are acting in a way that is the completely opposite of Masonic philosophy and you empower those who you follow instead of being empowered by your own intelligence.  Think about the angry, fundamentalist Christian who has never read the Bible (yes, they are around and I have met a few), think about the atheist who has never read the Bible but still reject it, and think about the 20-21 year olds that have never HEARD of Common Sense.  These are all examples of a sad truth that we hope to be above, using reason, logic, knowledge and intelligence to make us better people.  Now think about the 33rd Degree Mason who is unable to explain a simple element of Scottish Rite philosophy, are they any different?  No, and it is indeed sad.

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