A Brother Asks: Were the remaining Twelve Fellow Crafts Reformed Ruffians[1]?
My Response: Before I respond directly to your question, let me take some liberty here and lay a foundation for it.
Freemasonry does not make good men better. That is a fabricated slogan that serves the purpose of gaining the interest of a target market. It has worked unbelievably well over the years and is well suited to that purpose.
If you inspect the results of Craft influence in an unbiased way, it should become obvious from the evidence that it is only by Seeking and Practicing Masonry, not Freemasonry, that a Good Man becomes a Better Man.
That being said, Mainstream Freemasonry is an organization of men who collectively claim that they seek to make Good Men Better. They also lay claim to supporting this end without wavering. They do this by directing members' attention toward focusing upon those things that each can do to improve themselves. They do this in the hope that Members may eventually come to know and embrace Masonry; not just Freemasonry.
However, these claims must be backed by action on the part of each member for that Betterment to be realized. The first step toward that end is Realizing and Understanding that there actually is a difference between the organization and what it espouses. The second step is Realizing and Understanding that Participation in organizational activities is not the same as doing the Work that it espouses; these are two entirely different activities and they serve different ends.
Should you get upset or offended by this information? Only if you insist upon not earnestly examining what Betterment of yourself actually entails.
Back to your Question
From a very deep and personal perspective, I find the Three Fellow Crafts who went back to Work more heroic than any other characters within the Temple's Allegorical Tale. I see taking up the Work with unwavering intent to Complete it, as in "to complete their respective temples," to be one of the most heroic and noblest of journeys any Man can undertake.
To Recognize this need and Dedicate oneself to its fulfillment and completion to be a rare and noble quality.
But that's just me. I know from experience what it actually takes. A man must cultivate something very special and utterly unique within himself to take such Work on and then move it toward completion.
It Transforms the man, his life and his world.
The Work is not for wimps, wusses, or Ruffians.
The other Nine Ruffians? The story doesn't say what happened to them. That being said, it was clear that all twelve were threatened with the same punishment that the three who committed the crime eventually suffered, if the three were not brought to justice. The Nine Ruffians who were never heard from again did not bring the three to justice and therefore we are left to understand that they left for parts unknown, never to return, much like many who depart who never apprehend the Work necessary to bring their Work to justice.
And there in lies the answer to your question.
The Twelve Fellow Craft were part of the original conspiracy to ruff[2] on the required Work. They had every intention to ruff. They were going to follow through with ruffing and ultimately changed their minds. Of the twelve, we are left with the distinct impression that only three returned and planned to opt out of ruffing and followed suit on pursuing the Work. By all Blue Lodge accounts, we are left with a distinct understanding that only three had plans to reform their ways and get back to business - doing the Work.
So, "Yes", only these three were reformed Ruffians, or, at least, Working toward that end.
F&S,
Brother John S. Nagy
-------------------------------
[1] Ruffian: One who ruffs; one who does not follow suit; one who skips over what is usually necessary to accomplish a desired end.
[2] Ruff: an archaic term meaning to "trump"; to not follow suit; to skip over what is usually necessary to accomplish a desired end.
No comments:
Post a Comment