The field of ideas should be the field where we can safely talk about all topics without fear of judgment and without fear that other brothers will condemn us for the various thoughts that we all have. It is the diversity of thoughts and opinions that brings beauty to humanity.
Opinions are not to be tolerated, rather, they are to be listened to. So that in the innermost parts of your soul, you may confront with yourself and prove if in fact your convictions are still convictions.
On the contrary, those who refute other opinions without hearing them out or without understanding from where these opinions came from, Solomon, our first Grand Master, and considered the wisest men on earth, said that all these mans are FOOLS.
The constitution of our order mandates that we obey certain moral principles that ground all of our ritualistic logic and our order as a whole. We Masons in the past, were and always have been loyal to every constituted government but on the other hand we also fought against authoritarian governments, usurpers of rights and governments that violated our moral code or our Masonic Ethics.
See how interesting this is: the operative Masons embraced the philosophers, artists and other professionals who took refuge in our order during persecutions. If the Masons didn’t accept the Templars, the brothers who escaped from Portugal, Italy and France to the operative lodges there would not be speculative Freemasonry. I found out that the right of a Mason to “Travel” to foreign countries is from our very original nature. We were thus originated by being “accepted” into to the operative Freemasonry.
So dear Brother I’m trying to encourage you to raise your soul to where it should be. Let not selfishness and our self-centric nature vanquish our reason or blind our hearts.
There are millions dying of hunger that we cannot ignore. Stand up against injustice. Be loyal to your government and love your homeland, but do not forget the supreme values of our universal society that are the moral landmarks of our institution.
Do not forget that children are dying of starvation, victims of poverty and inequality. Let us not close the doors of our hearts. I now intercede with the Great Architect of the Universe to enlighten us more and may we have clarity to see the human pain.
Being a Freemason is also to confront reality and not to conform with injustice.
May our hearts, oh Lord, be filled with forgiveness and compassion. Teach us to love the one who differs from our thinking. May we truly love our neighbor. Give us Freemasons love and compassion for all.