more light #304
Masons - Model For better Society
by Ed Halpaus
Grand Lodge Education Officer
Grand Lodge of A. F. & A. M. of Minnesota
Sometimes I think mankind has regressed to what society must have been like
during the Roman Empire.
There is loss of respect for the value of human life. The television news
reports homicide and crimes of all types, as well as drug and alcohol misuse and
other pursuits of pleasure that are degrading men and women. Dictators are
destroying nations. The world is being threatened by nuclear weapons.
Corporations are often more interested in profits than treating employees
fairly or protecting the environment.
As Masons, we can serve as a model for a better society.
Our duties demand a higher sense of respect, fairness and responsibility. We
develop convictions, principles and standards of behavior, which no one can buy
or touch. Even though we enjoy more leisure than previous generations, we are
bound by our first-degree obligations to keep a balance in our life’s work,
interests and concerns. We are not caught up in the fast tempo of life. We slow
down enough to enjoy the rich values life offers and our interests, sympathies
and concerns include our family, our Masonic brothers and their families and our
community. As individuals, we know our job of building is never complete, that
no matter how long we live, life represents unfinished business and our true
measure is the length of our shadow after we are gone.
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