“Please fact-check that story you want to pass along before you pass it
along.
If you don't do this the credibility that will be destroyed is your own.”
– Art Cornett
Coach: Because he forwarded me a hoax and encouraged me to do the same to my Brothers and, when he was confronted, he dismissed me.
Brother: Yikes! He sent you a hoax and expected you to forward it, no questions asked?
Coach: Yes, he sent it to me because he didn't do his due diligence on what was shared with him.
Brother: But that happens all the time. Why did you block him from sending future messages?
Coach: Good question! Let's say that I did this to you.
Brother: Okay. I can
play along with that. Let's proceed.
Coach: Great, and
thanks.
Brother: You're most welcome.
THE PLAY ALONG
Coach: Okay, let’s get to
it. Let’s say that I forward you a hoax. I do so unintentionally by the way, but I did
so without checking it out. Brother: Okay. I follow your premise.
Coach: Okay. If you cannot trust me to do my due diligence before I share such things with you, encouraging you to do the same for your Brothers, how can you trust me with other things?
Brother: Well, what if it
came from a trusted Brother. I've received many alerts from Brothers on
all sorts of things.
Coach:
As
have I. But let's roll up our sleeves on this.
Brother: Okay.
Coach: You're telling
me because a Brother I trusted sent me a hoax and encouraged me to share
that hoax with other Brothers, I should not be held to account?
Brother: Well, yeah.
You make all this sound so bad. Under this scenario, all you did was share
some information with me. He did the same. I'm sure he didn't mean
any harm by it with you. It was shared with the best of intentions by both of you.
Coach: Okay. So,
because it was shared with the best of intentions, that should excuse him and
hence me from the consequences of our collective actions?
Brother: Gosh Coach, you're
blowing this all out of proportions. It was just some information
you both shared.
THE LIE
Brother:
Yikes!
I'd not thought of it that way.
Coach:
Too
few do! It furthermore wasted your time and every Brother who engages in this
chain of unqualified information sharing.
Brother:
Okay.
I see that too.
Coach: It also, if
followed, could cause death.
Brother: What!?
Coach: Yes. There are
quite a few of these hoaxes that, if followed, places those who
follow their advice in danger. Some actually
give dangerous information that if acted upon could cause death.
Brother: Wow!
Coach:
So,
if you can't trust me on something as seemingly harmless as this, even though
it is harmful and a lie, how can you trust me with more important things?
Brother: Well, since you put
it that way, I guess it would erode my confidence in you.
Coach: Exactly!
Brother: I hadn't thought of
it in that way.
THE TRUST EROSION
Coach: Far too many
Brothers don't think about how such things erode trust in one's Brother.
Brother: Then, if I was in a
situation like this, where I shared information that I didn't do my due
diligence on, I would apologize to you.
Coach: And I would thank
you for offering this apology and say to you that your apology was
conditionally accepted.Brother: Conditionally accepted? Wait a second! What does that mean?
Coach: It means I would
accept your apology when you make amends for your actions.
Brother: Make amends?
Coach: Yes, make amends!
THE AMENDS
Brother:
What
actions would that mean for me?
Coach: That would
mean telling the Brother who sent you this hoax that he did harm to your
trust in him by not doing his due diligence before sending a lie your way and
encouraging you to forward it to your trusting Brothers.
Brother: Are you
serious? You would want me to confront him like you confronted me?
Coach:
Would
you want your apology to be taken seriously?
Brother: Well, yes.
Coach: Then you would have
to make amends and make sure the Brother who harmed your trust in him
faced the same consequences for his actions.
Brother: But what if he won't
accept responsibility and he dismisses me, much like Brother Jones did to you.
Coach:
Then
you would know his true character, that you were right in confronting him and
ultimately not trusting him into the future.
Brother: Isn't that a bit
harsh?
Coach: If he refuses to
face the consequences of a simple action like this, what further can you expect
from him on more important things? How can you trust him on anything
else?
Brother: Wow! You're
right! This raises a question though.
Coach: What's that?
Brother: If he were to
apologize, should I demand he do the same thing that you're asking of me?
Coach: I demanded nothing
from you.
Brother: You want me to
confront the Brother who sent me the hoax.
Brother: Darn Coach.
You're making this real.
Coach: No. I am offering you an opportunity to make it real. Do you want it?
Brother: Well, yes. Of
course I do.Coach: No. I am offering you an opportunity to make it real. Do you want it?
Coach: Good! Then you
know what you have to do in situations like this.
Brother: You mean, separate out the wheat from the chaff and find out who you can trust and who you cannot.
Coach: Yes, and stop play
acting and live it!
Brother: Okay Coach.
Thanks for taking the time. I appreciate your efforts.
Coach: You're most
welcome. Thanks for hearing me out on this. It means a lot that you
would do this.
Brother: You’re welcome.
Coach: So, would you like
to take it to the next level?
Brother: Next level?
You mean there's more here than meets the eye?
Coach: Yes. I mean
exactly that.
Brother:
Are
you going to drag me down another rabbit hole Coach?
Coach: No. But you're
welcome to join me if you want to go.
Brother: I'm game!
THE FAUX LIGHT
Coach: Good! How many
times have Brothers provided to you information about Freemasonry, as if it
were fact, that you found with reasonable effort was not a fact and was based
upon a conjecture made by some Brother in the past?
Brother: You mean like Adam
being the first Freemason or the Knights Templar being a part of Freemasonic
history?
Coach: Exactly!
Brother: I can’t count the
number of times this has occurred. The
Craft are full of these unsubstantiated claims.
Coach: Indeed!
Brother: Wait! Are you telling me that these situations are
no less grievous as sending these hoaxes to Brothers through email or private
messenger?
Coach: Are they presenting
the information as fact?
Brother: Well, yes. They are doing just that.
Coach: Are they telling you
that they have done their due diligence on what they shared with you to assure
the information is factual?
THE DILIGENT
Brother: Good Lord
Coach! I rarely have any of the
information that comes my way backed by an assurance it is checked out and validated
by due diligence.
Coach: So, you’re just
accepting it as fact because you’re trusting the Brothers who gave it to you?
Brother: Well, yeah. I guess I am?
Coach: Guess?
Brother: No, I know that I am. Ouch!
Darn Coach! I know when this all
started!
Coach: When?
Brother: Before I was an
Apprentice.
Coach: Before?
Brother: Yes. Even before I petitioned, I was trusting my
future Brothers to provide to me Light that was valid.
Coach: Did you make sure
you checked the information out?
Brother: At first I did. But in all honesty, I didn’t know what I didn’t
know and I placed trust in my Brothers after a while because there was simply
too much information to verify.
Coach: What took precedence?
Brother: Getting accepted by
them and getting my degrees.
Coach: At what point did
you simply accept what was being shared with you without doing your own work?
Brother: In truth, just after
I got through the investigation.
Coach: Why?
THE START
Brother: Because I was on my
way to being accepted and didn’t see any need to invest time in checking out
what was being told to me.
Coach: So, you placed your
trust in your conductors and felt no danger in what was being shared?
Brother: Yes! Of course!
Coach: But you said there
were countless times where what was being shared with you was found by you to be
mere conjecture from some long dead Brother and not fact.
Brother: Yes, soon after I
was raised I found I was not satisfied with the superfluous answers I had been
receiving.
Coach: And?
Brother: My seeking revealed
many of the superfluous responses I had received had not been checked in depth
and some were actually misleading.
Coach: And you received all
these responses from your trusted Brothers?
Brother: Yes.
Coach: And the result of
your findings?
Brother: I am less trusting
of them as sources of Light.
Coach: Sort of like the
trust you placed in the Brothers who shared a hoax with you, encouraged you to
share it with your Brothers and didn’t check to see if what they shared was
valid?
Brother: Darn Coach! You just popped your head out of the other
rabbit-hole!
Coach: I have a rabbit of
doing that.
Brother: Yes,
you sure do.
Coach: Want to go down
another rabbit hole?
Brother: Sure!
Coach: How many times have
you actually checked the dues card and IDs of your Brothers?
Brother: I’ve never done
this!
Coach: So, you take for
granted that your Brothers are valid members of the Fraternity?
Brother: Of course I do! I trust them! Why would I not?
Coach: The same ones who
share information with you that you have found not to be factual?
Brother: Ouch! Coach!
You’re giving me a whole bunch to think about here.
Coach: Good! Why don’t we leave it there then?
Brother: Yes! Please!
My head hurts.
Coach: Good! That’s a sure sign
you’re using your gray matter.
Brother: Thanks for a most
thought-provoking conversation Coach.
Coach: You’re most welcome
my good Brother. Thanks for taking the
time to chase some rabbits with me.
Brother: I can see how
chasing Freemasonic rabbits can develop good Masonic habits!
Coach: THE RETURN
Brother: Thanks! So, is it safe to say that the reason you
blocked Brother Jones is a combination of blatant disregard and overt disrespect?
Coach: Indeed. Disregard for their own credibility, for checking
out information before it is shared and for encouraging me to do the same. Additionally,
disrespect for my time, my credibility and for my Brothers who would have
ultimately been the recipients of the same.
Brother: That’s deep!
Coach: That’s life my
Brother and I have been charged with divesting myself of such vices and
superfluities. Brother: Ah! The Apprentice level work and all the rest that far too few do.
Coach: Yes. That include making sure there's no rubbish in my temple!
Brother:
1 comment:
Thank you for this. Please accept my apologies.
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