A Brother Asks: Civility War

 

A Brother Asks*:  Coach!  Sometimes a question enters my head that I can't clear.  

Coach: I can so relate.  What's up?

Brother: I wonder about the formation of our nation and the dynamic that must have existed between our ancestors who wanted to leave England, and those who considered us traitors.

Coach: You're not alone. The simple response that I have toward this is that they were responding to traitors within the government that they were under. This government did not honor them as citizens.  The governing body of men were traitors to the relationship with their citizens first.

Hence the citizen's response was to get a divorce. The citizens rebelled by leaving the relationship and did so justly by declaring themselves independent from that established disrespectful government.

Brother: I'm going to focus on Freemasonry.  We know there had to be Brothers in both camps.  Do you think they just agreed to disagree, or did they actively work against each other?

Coach: If you have ever read the Federalist Papers and read through the accounts of the interaction played out by members who put together the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution, they were verbally at each other's throats. But they did work together to do what was necessary to establish a new government.

Brother: Let's bring that situation to present day.  There is a very good reason why we don't discuss politics in lodge. 

Coach: Yes, there is.  It's because having such discussions is not the purpose of the Lodge experience. It never was the purpose and should never be the purpose!

We as members are charged to install roadmaps into our members that, when followed, can mature and bring about mastery for the soul that follows them.

As a fraternity, we do help new members install those maps. However, we do not as a unified body of men encourage following them.

This is all that we can do currently and, as a result, getting immature and unmasterful souls to engage in anything like talking politics-religion would be out of both the purpose and the scope of our general member's true abilities. Talking politics (or religion) in lodge is simply beyond the general membership's abilities. And this is all the more reason not to engage in it, even though it is not our purpose.

Brother: If we each knew where the other stood, it would have a dividing effect.  

Coach: This is only when one or more parties are hostile, uncivil, disrespectful, and/or inconsiderate toward the others. I have many masonic relationships with those who do not hold my views as dearly as I do. We have absolutely no problems or troubles because we are cordial, civil, respectful, and considerate of each other.

However, I have blocked Brothers who were purposefully hostile, uncivil, disrespectful, and/or inconsiderate toward me and others online. We still are friendly in Lodge, but they are no longer part of my online life. And this is as it should be!

Brother: However, it's pretty easy to discern the likelihood of opinion, based on statements, actions, and simple associations. If it ever came to a form of Civil War, in the USA - how do you think that might manifest itself in our ranks?

Coach: If you have members who are hostile, uncivil, disrespectful, and/or inconsiderate of others, they will be treated accordingly. If you have members who are cordial, civil, respectful, and considerate of each other, you know, being mature and well-informed about the things that cause challenges, problems, and troubles in discourse and lodge activities, it'll be business as usual, at least, as it relates to the Lodge experience.

Brother: This is rhetorical, just something to think about.  

Coach: And well-worthwhile discussing since it is always a possibility on every scale!

Brother: We don't need to out each other, nor do we need specifics. 

Coach: But of course!

Brother: I'm speaking in generalities.  

Coach: As you should!

Brother: This might be something worth exploring in our own minds, and hearts - because I see all the signs of it heading in that direction. 

Coach: I agree.

Brother: Whether it gets there, or not, will be largely dependent upon how we, as a society, react - and more importantly, whether or not we, as an organization take a leadership role. 

Coach: All the more reason we should be both installing these maps in every member and encouraging and supporting the maturing of our membership so that they can Work toward mastery, rather than just making more members.

* shared  in this way with permission of the Brother!