In This Issue

Grand Master’s Message

Ignorance and Apathy

In writing articles for the The Voice of Freemathe value of the seven liberal arts and the sonry, I always wonder if my words that come importance of knowledge for knowledge’s together have any real value to the brethren. Does sake. We were encouraged to be inquisiwhat I wish to say match what they want or need to tive and ask the six most important questions hear? Should I write about the state of Masonic affairs in one’s quest for dispelling ignorance — who, what, within our Grand Jurisdiction, about future activities where, when, why, and how. We came to understand which would involve the participation of many of the that being intellectual did not necessarily dispel ignoDC Lodges, or just ramble on as I am sometimes prone rance and that it was as important to learn what one to do? did not know as it was to know what one did know. Inspiration for my articles comes from many sources. Recently, I was involved in philosophical research (translation: I was reading the comics and I was captivated by the comic strip “Pickles” which appeared in the March 4, 2010 edition of a local newspaper). When queried by his wife, Pearl, “Which of these fabrics would make a better quilt, these three or these three? Earl answered, “Sorry, the only things I can bring to this discussion are ignorance and So a Mason really never stops learning about the subtleties of Masonic symbols, about the vagaries of personal relationships, or the nature of Deity and our covenant with Him. When a Mason professes ignorance about an issue by saying, “I don’t know”, he must immediately place on his to-do list the need to find out. Dispelling ignorance is a lifelong habit and should never cease to be a motivating factor in all we do. Obviously, Earl is not a Mason. apathy.” I was immediately If apathy can be defined as a fascinated by the combination lack of interest or concern for of those two words. Somehow things that others find movI needed to turn Earl’s answer ing and exciting, then Earl into a Masonic article. is truly a person set apart. As you know, I have chosen three words to guide me in my year in the Grand East — vision, energy, and empathy. Now Earl, in his response to his wife’s query, effectively throws those three words out the window. He is incapable of projecting the potential beauty of the choices he is given into a finished product and thus he cannot envision what a rough ashlar might become. He certainly lacks vision. He does not generate any energy to find out what his wife’s preference might be. And, he has displayed a total lack of empathy for his wife’s dilemma. Lacking passion, enthusiasm and interest, he cannot possibly enjoy the pleasures of life either by himself or in personal relationships with others. He will be forever blind to our concept of “brotherhood”. He is likened to a slug, slowly creeping his way through the byways of life and leaving behind only a trail of mucus to mark his passage. His available energy is consumed by his need to exist and his lack of vitality prevents him from morphing into an upright and dynamically interactive being. Obviously, Earl is not a Mason. Most Worshipful Brother Paul D. Gleason Obviously, Earl is not a Mason. My Brethren, no man can know it all. Working together, Ignorance and apathy are two great enemies of Masonry. We, who knelt at the altar, hoodwinked and in darkness, when asked what we desire most, answered light. We soon came to appreciate that our answer, light, really meant knowledge. As we prohowever, we can strive to bring light where darkness exists, to energize the apathetic so that they might truly enjoy the fruits of brotherly love and, finally, to instill in them a compassionate and kindhearted consideration of others. gressed in our Masonic journey, we were exposed to May we all be able to shout out: “I am not an Earl!” n