greatly expanded in Nichomachean Ethics VIII & IX. There are three types of friendship (philia), based on the object of one’s affections: goodness (agathon or arete/ virtue), pleasure, and usefulness. Friendship based on pleasure (what is pleasing to you) and usefulness (what’s in it for me?) depends on a fairly self-centered evaluation of each other. Friendship based on character — that is, disinterested friendship, i.e., unbiased by personal interest or advantage, or selfish motives, vera amicitia (true friendship) or amicitia perfecta (unconditional friendship) — is formed by valuing another individual’s character as good in and of itself (“bearing a tongue of good report”). The focus is on the other person, not on oneself. Those who are friends for the sake of virtue love and admire each other as “good friends and true,” and can therefore reliably enjoy the pleasure and fulfillment in each other’s company based on these virtues. James Monroe (1758-1831), the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, during one of two goodwill tours in the summer of 1817 after becoming the fifth U.S. President, spoke to the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati concerning valiant patriotic defenders of the country: “May they cultivate the same manly patriotism, the same disinterested friendship, and the same political integrity which has distinguished you, and thus united in perpetuating that social concord and public virtue on which the future prosperity of our country must so essentially depend.” In the November 2007 issue of Freemasonry Tasma-
nia 22.4, M.W. Brother Julius Kearon, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge AF & AM of Tasmania wrote: “The words of the carol [“While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night”]…were written by Nahum Tate, an Irish poet and dramatist who lived from 1652 to 1715. He wrote other popular hymns, and the following quotation comes from his writings: ‘Friendship’s the privilege of private men; for wretched greatness knows no blessing so substantial.’ Friendship is important to us as Freemasons and as private individuals. As Freemasons we are enjoined to avoid topics of discussion which might cause disharmony. In the final address to the Brethren in our Installation ceremonies the Installing Master recommends that Brethren ‘enjoy every satisfaction and delight that disinterested friendship can bring.’ I was once asked what this recommendation meant, and explained that disinterested and uninterested have different meanings, with disinterested meaning uninfluenced by self-interest.” The poet Horace (65-8 B.C.) states in Satirae I, v, 44: Nil ego contulerim incundo sanus amico: “There is nothing that I, as long as I remain sane, shall ever compare to a congenial friend.” More recently (1882) T. L. Haines (The Royal Path of Life) in poetic prose wrote: “Pure, disinterested friendship, is a bright flame, emitting none of the smoke of selfishness, and seldom deigns to tabernacle among men. Its origin is divine, its operations heavenly, and its results enrapturing to the soul.” At the closing of every Masonic Lodge meeting, the Brethren are reminded that the Lodge is a “sacred retreat of friendship and virtue.”
Evil, from page 34 … ime we are allowed. It is rather like a television game show; or maybe the game show is like our life. Our God, being the perfect being that He is, all knowing, knew in advance what He was creating and made allowance for us to make that mistake. He gave us the desire to receive and we have been receiving ever since. We just love to receive. Unfortunately, we always find that when we do receive we get little or short lived pleasure from it. Eventually we get to the point of asking ourselves why we go to the effort. It is at this point, fearful of never finding happiness, that we begin the search inside ourselves for the answer.
It is at this point that we seek out Freemasonry and ask to be brought from darkness to light; from cold to warm. To do this for ourselves we must seek light and heat. As we do we learn that we must learn to control our desires to receive and learn to give. Materialism means we must get as much goods as we can and we must get them at the expense of the other guy. Spiritualism means that we give as much as we can to the other guy so that the other guy does not need for the basics of life. Only in this way will we begin to return to that Garden of Eden bringing us and God back into that relationship of oneness that we desire and the only path that will lead us to happiness.
Disinterested, from back page …
Regional Grand Lecturers 2012-2013 Card # Name . . . . . . . . . . .Street . City, State, Zip ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������Email A . David D. Powell . . . . . . . 2414 Northeast St. . . . . . Kirksville, MO 63501-2114 . . 660-665-5857 �� flytyr52@hotmail.com B . Michael E. Wheeler . . . . . 7212 Southwest Karen Rd Trimble, MO 64492 . . . . . .816-804-9171 ������� DDGL17@aol.com C . Glenn H. Burrows . . . . . . 4806 NW 57th Ct. . . . . . Kansas City, MO 64151 . . . .816-225-5679 �������� ghb1947@aol.com D . Robert E. Lee Martin . . . . 6985 Schmidt Lane . . . . Sullivan, MO 63080 . . . . . .573-457-8380 ������� martin@fidnet.com E . Michael L. Apple . . . . . . 912 Kylemore Dr. . . . . . Ballwin, MO 63021 . . . . . .314-440-5814 ����������� mbapple@att.net F . Christopher C. McLemore IV . 13537 E. Neosho Rd. . . . Nevada, MO 64772 . . . . . .417-321-1166 ��� ckmac@sbcglobal.net G . Wayne G. Tucker . . . . . . HC 3 Box 222 . . . . . . . Ellsinore, MO 63937 . . . . . 573-322-5712 �� wktuckers@hotmail.com the missouri freemason Spring 2013 43