It has been a little while since my last post and I just wanted to let everyone know that's because the article I am working on is taking a little longer to write than normal.  I've been putting a lot of thought into it and I want to make it as lucid as I can before I publish it.  It's coming soon!

Somewhere, amongst the list of man's most ancient of questions (and, I would imagine the most oft asked), lies 4 little words.  These 4 words, comprised of only 12 letters, forms a sentence so short that it almost beguiles the immense magnitude of its meaning:

Why are we here?

For each person who has ever reflected upon this question with at least a modicum of seriousness, the answer is surely as varied as the individual doing the asking.   The answers may perhaps be similar in form, but they are undoubtedly unique in their nuances; one man's conclusion is sure to have found itself in the proverbial dustbin of another's thoughts.  It has recently become clear to me that we will never truly know the answer to this question - not in this life at least.

It's almost like a painting or a tapestry in a way.  Some of us are standing so close - so wrapped up in our lives - that we cant help but only see each individual color as it catches our eye, immediately forgetting the last no matter how vivid it may have been.  "Living for the now" has the unfortunate side affect of preventing us from living for the future, or even, living for the past. 

But for each of us that are standing so close, there is another who stands out in the periphery.  So far out, in fact, that they can see the whole picture only by its most basic of elements.  While they may be able to discern what the painting looks like, they can never figure out just what the painting is; the lack of detail makes it so that they might as well be blind. 

Planning every aspect of our lives in advance, by nature, ignores the little things that pop up during our respective travels.  Perhaps calling these life events  "little things" might seem like a misnomer for they can - and do - have a great affect on us.  However, one must be cognizant that, in the grand scheme of things, these events are but a moment in history contending for significance against billions of others...  indeed, such is the ruthless nature of time! 

More abstractly, though, while there are thousands of paintings in an art exhibit, each one remains beautiful in its own right because of its details; without them there would be nothing upon which to shine a spotlight, much less to feature, in the first place.  And while each individual detail remains relatively meaningless on its own, putting them together with a little foresight and a lot of passion produces something worth framing.  There is simply no denying that these details are the spice of life... they are what gives living a complexion all its own.

The trick in life is to figure out where to stand.

And while we're trying to get the best vantage point, perhaps pondering the question of "why", and in turn asking "why not?", will give us a measuring stick with which we can gauge our distance.

Why not love much and love often
Even though it may be unrequited?

Why not laugh
Not just with others, but at ourselves?

Why not help another person who deeply needs it
And say thank you when we're that person?

Why not take responsibility for our actions
instead of blaming someone else no matter what the repercussions?

Why not shoot for the stars and aim for our dreams
while never forgetting our roots and where we came from?

Why not take pride in the quality of our work
instead of the number of figures in our paycheck?

Why not speak out against the wrongs of the world
though we live in relative comfort?

Why not be a patriot
even if it means personally sacrificing much in the interest of liberty?

Why not care about our fellow man
and not just about ourselves?

In truth and knowledge,
-Scott

Taking a cue from Brother Chris Hodapp's blog (yes, that Chris Hodapp), I submitted my blog for rating.  You know, just for the hell of it...

...Damn, I wasn't ready for that.  I must be losing my edge.

While I was sifting through the loads of absolute crap about Freemasonry on Youtube, I came across this promotional video from the Grand Lodge of Indiana.  I think it has some good content though, unfortunately, the comments section is littered with typical new world order garbage imploring people to think for themselves instead of becoming Masons.  I think it is they who really need to do a little contemplation - they aren't individuals or free thinkers - they are just sheeple who take sites like freemasonwatch as gospel.  Profane, indeed...

Anyway, I also managed to find the same video listed here - Not only are the comments much more amicable on this version, but the quality is a bit better as well.  Enjoy!

In recognition of those Brothers who have come before us, occasionally, I will post a small collection of their wisest quotes.  A word to the wise, from the wise, if you will.  I hope you enjoy the first installment!

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man. 

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

Ben Franklin

But who prays for Satan? Who, in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most?

Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.

Samuel Clemens (a.k.a. Mark Twain)

It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.

To stimulate wildly weak and untrained minds is to play with mighty fires.

W. E. B. DuBois

For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst and provide for it.

Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!

When the American spirit was in its youth, the language of America was different: Liberty, sir, was the primary object.

Patrick Henry

I am concerned for the security of our great Nation; not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within.

Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.

General Douglas MacArthur

Just a little poem I came across today...   Though the message is quite obvious, it's still a poignant reminder.

Emblems of the Craft

 Dr. Robert Morris

You wear the Square! but have you got
That thing the Square denotes?
Is there within your inmost soul
That principle which should control
Your actions, words and thoughts?
The Square of virtue,--is it there,
Oh, you who wear the Mason's Square?

You wear the Compass! Do you keep
With that circle due
That's circumscribed by law divine
Excluding hatred, envy, sin,--
Including all that's true?
The Moral Compass draws the line,
And lets no evil passion in!

You wear the Trowel! have you got
That mortar, old and pure,
Made on the recipe of God
Divulged within His ancient Word,
Indissoluble, sure?
And do you spread, `twixt man and man,
That precious mixture as you can?

You wear the oriental G!
Ah, Brother, have a care!
He whose All-seeing Eye surveys
Your inmost heart, with open gaze,
Knows well what thoughts are there!
Let no profane, irreverent word
Go up t' insult th' avenging God!

Dear Brother! if you will display
These emblems of our Art,
Let the great morals that they teach
Be deeply graven, each for each,
Upon an honest heart!
Then they will tell, to God and man,
Freemasonry's all perfect plan!

Published in 1914, The Builders by Brother Joseph Fort Newton contains one of the most eloquent and thoughtful answers to the question which has, no doubt, existed since the birth of speculative Freemasonry, "What is a mason?".  Because of the oratory skill and passion with which he wrote and ministered, one doesn't have to do much searching to find this passage from the end of section III, chapter 3 - The Spirit of Masonry quoted heavily throughout the Internet: 

When is a man a Mason? When he can look out over the rivers, the hills, and the far horizon with a profound sense of his own littleness in the vast scheme of things, and yet have faith, hope, and courage--which is the root of every virtue. When he knows that down in his heart every man is as noble, as vile, as divine, as diabolic, and as lonely as himself, and seeks to know, to forgive, and to love his fellow man. When he knows how to sympathize with men in their sorrows, yea, even in their sins - knowing that each man fights a hard fight against many odds. When he has learned how to make friends and to keep them, and above all how to keep friends with himself. When he loves flowers, can hunt the birds without a gun, and feels the thrill of an old forgotten joy when he hears the laugh of a little child. When he can be happy and high-minded amid the meaner drudgeries of life. When star-crowned trees, and the glint of sunlight on flowing waters, subdue him like the thought of one much loved and long dead. When no voice of distress reaches his ears in vain, and no hand seeks his aid without response. When he finds good in every faith that helps any man to lay hold of divine things and sees majestic meanings in life, whatever the name of that faith may be. When he can look into a wayside puddle and see something beyond mud, and into the face of the most forlorn fellow mortal and see something beyond sin. When he knows how to pray, how to love, how to hope. When he has kept faith with himself, with his fellow man, with his God; in his hand a sword for evil, in his heart a bit of a song - glad to live, but not afraid to die! Such a man has found the only real secret of Masonry, and the one which it is trying to give to all the world.

It is obvious that Brother Newton had great skill with his pen and a way with words that few possess.  It is for this reason that I offer you the rest of the chapter from which this quote is taken;  I promise you, it is equally as profound and reading it would be time well spent.

OUTSIDE of the home and the house of God there is nothing in this world more beautiful than the Spirit of Masonry. Gentle, gracious, and wise, its mission is to form mankind into a great redemptive Brotherhood; a league of noble and free men enlisted in the radiant enterprise of working out in time the love and will of the Eternal. Who is sufficient to describe a spirit so benign? With what words may one ever hope to capture and detain that which belongs of right to the genius of poetry and song, by whose magic those elusive and impalpable realities find embodiment and voice?

With picture, parable, and stately drama, Masonry appeals to lovers of beauty, bringing poetry and symbol to the aid of philosophy, and art to the service of character. Broad and tolerant in its teaching, it appeals to men of intellect, equally by the depth of its faith and its plea for liberty of thought--helping them to think things through to a more satisfying and hopeful vision of the meaning of life and the mystery of the world. But its profoundest appeal, more eloquent than all others, is to the deep heart of man, out of which are the issues of life and destiny. When all is said, it is as a man thinketh in his heart whether life be worth while or not, and whether he is a help or a curse to his race.

Here lies the tragedy of our race:
Not that men are poor;
All men know something of poverty.
Not that men are wicked;
Who can claim to be good?
Not that men are ignorant;
Who can boast that he is wise?
But that men are strangers!

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I just installed a nice little tool on this site called Snap Shots which enhances links with visual previews of the destination site, interactive excerpts of Wikipedia articles,  instant previews of  products available on Amazon, instant in-line videos, RSS, MP3s, photos, and more.

Sometimes Snap Shots bring you the information you need, without your having to leave the site, while other times it lets you "look ahead," before deciding if you want to follow a link or not.

Should you decide this is not for you, just click the Options icon in the upper right corner of the Snap Shot and opt-out.

Unfortunately, whenever one comes across an article on Freemasonry, they are more often than not presented with grand stories of occult activities, devil worshipping, government subversion and a new world order ruled by 33° super-masons.  In spite of this, I recently came across an article published in the U.S. News & World Report which actually sheds some good light on the fraternity while providing a factual glimpse into the history of Masonry in America.

Inside the Masons
By Jay Tolson
Posted 8/28/05

The 1820s looked as though they would be the best of times for the special relationship between the fraternal order of Freemasonry and the young American nation. It wasn't just because so many prominent members of the founding generation--George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and indeed 13 of the 39 signers of the Constitution--had been members. It was also because the rapidly growing republic and the fraternal society still held so many ideals in common. American republican values looked like Masonic values writ large: honorable civic-mindedness, a high regard for learning and progress, and what might be called a broad and tolerant religiosity. Indeed, says Steven Bullock, a historian at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a leading scholar of the Masonic fraternity in America, Freemasons "helped to give the new nation a symbolic core."

Not for nothing were the compass, square, and other emblems associated with Freemasonry emblazoned everywhere, even on jewelry, furniture, and table settings belonging to Masons and many non-Masons as well. Nor was it insignificant that a goodly number of Americans thought--erroneously but justifiably--that the Great Seal of the United States itself contained Masonic symbols. It was both a tribute and a liability to the brotherhood that people saw the influence of Freemasonry even where it didn't exist.

Since the Revolution, Freemasons had become the semiofficial celebrants of American civic culture. Wearing their distinctive aprons and wielding the trowels of their craft--the original Masons were in fact stonemasons--they routinely laid the cornerstones of important government buildings and churches and participated prominently in parades and other public ceremonies. When the aging Lafayette made his return tour of the United States in 1824-25, members of the "craft" (as Masonry is called) conspicuously greeted their fellow Mason, often inviting him to stay at the local lodge. That tour further boosted Masonic membership, which had grown from 16,000 in 1800 to about 80,000 in 1822, or roughly 5 percent of America's eligible male population.

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During the course of my reading, I have come across many notable Masons; some have changed the world, while others have escaped the bonds of it's gravity while reaching for the heavens.  They have entertained us and they have inspired us.  Despite their varied accomplishments, all of these men had one thing in common - their membership in the oldest fraternal organization in the world.  In the following series of articles, I will detail the lives of some of the most intriguing and thought provoking Masons that have ever worn an apron.  It must be added that this is by no means an exhaustive list - one interested in finding out which other famous people were practitioners of the Craft need only visit this article at masonicinfo.com.

William "Bud" Abbott

"William Alexander “Bud” Abbott (October 2, 1895 – April 24, 1974) was an American actor, producer and comedian born in Asbury Park, New Jersey. He is best remembered as the straight man of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Lou Costello." -Wikipedia

Brother Abbott was also a member of Daylight Lodge #525, MI
 
 

Emilio Aguinaldo

"Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (March 22, 1869 – February 6, 1964) was a Filipino general, politician, and independence leader. He played an instrumental role in Philippine independence during the Philippine Revolution against Spain and the Philippine-American War that resisted American occupation.  In the Philippines, Aguinaldo is considered to be the country's first and the youngest Philippine President, though his government failed to obtain any foreign recognition." -Wikipedia

Brother Aguinaldo was also a member, founder and Past Master of Ibarra Lodge #31 in the Philippines which was later renamed the Aguinaldo Memorial Lodge #31 in his honor.

Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin

"Colonel Buzz Aldrin, Sc.D (born January 20, 1930 as Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr.) is an American pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 11, the first lunar landing. He became the second person to set foot on the Moon (after Mission Commander Neil Armstrong)."

"Aldrin was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, where he became a Tenderfoot in the Boy Scouts of America.  He attended Montclair High School in Montclair, New Jersey, and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He was not nicknamed Buzz because of having a buzz cut. Actually, as a boy, he was given the nickname "Buzz" by his sister—she mispronounced "brother" as "buzzer", and this was shortened to Buzz—and he made it his legal first name in 1988." -Wikipedia

Brother Aldrin is also a Master Mason in Montclair Lodge #144, NJ, 32nd Degree A.A.S.R., R.A.M. & K.T. in Authven Commandery, TX, a Recipient of the Knight Templar Cross of Honor in 1969 and is a Member of the Shrine of North America.

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