Ok, It is a snowy day and while the snow has stopped I am not ready to venture out. Found some things to share.This was on a listserve I belong to. It fits my feelings exactly.
Let no religious rite be done or read
In any place for me when I am dead,
But burn my body into ash, and scatter
The ash in secret into running water,
Or on the windy down, and let none see;
And then thank God that there’s an end of me.John Masefield
Yes, I know that may be somewhat of a downer for some of you but I agree with Masefield. Unfortunately they did not follow his wishes: "On May 12, 1967, John Masefield died, after having suffered through a spread of gangrene up his leg. According to his wishes, he was cremated and his ashes placed in the Poets’ Corner at Westminster Abbey. Later, the verse was discovered, written by Masefield, addressed to his ‘Heirs, Administrators, and Assigns’'
Next over at Non Sequitor they had this cartoon today. (Click on the cartoon to see it larger.)
I hope they don't mind that I "borrowed " it. It is too much like what happens at my house. And I love it. So there!I found this article - Feel Like a Fraud? At Times, Maybe You Should - from the New York Times to be interesting. Here is the beginning:
Stare into a mirror long enough and it’s hard not to wonder whether that’s a mask staring back, and if so, who’s really behind it.Anyway I can certainly identify with the article. Lots of times I feel like a fraud. When I try to open up to some people they pull away so I don't. I hate it when I feel like that. All it take is a little rejection and I make that my entire being so I pull away. Go figure. I guess I just don't feel like I want to force myself on anyone. Anyway I got some insights into me by reading it. Maybe you will also.
A similar self-doubt can cloud a public identity as well, especially for anyone who has just stepped into a new role. College graduate. New mother. Medical doctor. Even, for that matter, presidential nominee.
Presidents and parents, after all, are expected to make crucial decisions on a dime. Doctors are being asked to save lives, and graduate students to know how Aristotle’s conception of virtue differed from Aquinas’s conception of — uh-oh.
Who’s kidding whom?
Social psychologists have studied what they call the impostor phenomenon since at least the 1970s, when a pair of therapists at Georgia State University used the phrase to describe the internal experience of a group of high-achieving women who had a secret sense they were not as capable as others thought. Since then researchers have documented such fears in adults of all ages, as well as adolescents
Next the Scottish Rite is organizing a Knights of St. Andrew.
You can read about it and other events coming up at the consistory at the Des Moines Consistory Blog.
And finally (for now) Brother Tim Bonney wrote a comment on the Philalathes:
Freemasonry is not entirely a democracy. Freemasonry in fact is not a free society. It is a society of obligated men. That obligation circumscribes our freedoms. And, we chose to do so of our own free will and accord. The ancient structure of the craft does not entirely match the structure of our modern society. Even just looking at the powers of an elected Master, once elected in many jurisdictions he has very wide powers in his lodge beyond what many would see as democratic
I really like that statement "a society of obligated men." We are under an obligation. In fact those of us who belong to many Masonic Organizations are under many obligations. Before we take these obligations we do not know what they are but we are told that they contain "nothing that will conflict with our duty to God, our country, our neighbor or ourselves." (I am paraphrasing from memory here those may not be the exact words but they are substantively the same.) And they don't. There is no conflict. If we live up to our obligations we will be better because of it. For so many the idea of the obligation as just keeping the "secrets" is all there is to them but if you listen to and think about the rest of them they give you pretty good rules to govern your life by. So a society of obligated men appeals to me. Thanks Tim, your thoughts are always insightful.
As always - ARYAL, Hugs, j-bear
2 comments:
Of course it is a democracy. (I am speaking of the individual lodge level here. At the Grand Lodge level, it becomes a representative republic.) Under what other system can you elect your own dictator. And by a secret ballot no less. At least in Iowa, the Grand Lodge doesn't impose a proficiency requirement on your choice of dictator. And at the same time, if unhappy with the man elected, you can walk with your feet, either through a withdrawal, a regular demit, or a demit to seek affiliation elsewhere. As societies go, I'm not sure how much more democratic it can get. Even the dictatorial powers of the Master can be viewed as protection of the rights of those not in attendance for voting. And while the Master does have some rather large prerogatives, there are many things that he is bound to do. He may choose not to bring a specific proposal to the floor for discussion of vote, but when it comes to balloting, he does not have that option. Petitions MUST be handled.
But I too like the quote, "a society of obligated men." And it is very important that it is a voluntary obligation, a voluntary obligation we take upon ourselves through a promise to our lodge, to ourselves, and to God. And no one is more obligated than the man who is installed as Master. While the individual Mason is obligated to behave in a particular way, the WM is obligated to act in the best interests of his lodge, and to place those interests before his won. And if he truly does that, the TEMPORARY dictatorial powers are not a concern.
Very good points. I agree in the sense you are talking about that Masonry is most certainly a democracy.
My quote comes from a discussion in which, in part others are declaring that a Mason should just be able to do whatever they want. Which, IMHO, isn't really freedom it is anarchy.
I remember when I was Master of my lodge. The list of obligations to my lodge and Grand Lodge were very weighty and solemn. They are certainly design to make one think about his duties to the Craft!
Tim
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