A LIFE CHOICE: CHASING THAT WHICH IS EXPEDIENT- THAT WHICH IS MEANINGFUL

All it takes is panic for the things sacred about our communities to be exchanged for what is expedient. Panic.  We know making decisions formed by panic causes injury that endures. The bookmarks of history tell a continuing tale. Where complacency takes root, the conditions of panic thrive. Where panic thrives decline is not far behind.  However lofty our beliefs however clear our thinking in periods of calm, we will be challenged as Masons when we stand out from the crowd, keeping control of our emotions when those around us are unable to do so.  This is where the secrecy of our community gains its reputation.  When joining the crowd is expected, craftsmen are taught to quietly go about their business, being unassuming, understanding that they understand a dynamic process that the crowd does not.  Easier for them, as us, to follow expedient thinking. Diplomatic of us to control when and how we react or if we even react.  Contrary to bullish opinion, when we do not know what to do, doing nothing is preferable to mistakes. If you are not with us, you are against us.  If you do not stand behind us, then you stand in front of us. Aggressive, patriotic. Jingoism is the virus of emotional thought.      Today, we are listening. We aren't in front of a mob. In the fracas, we say and do what is expedient to survive.  The other option, the road less travelled is to not allow yourself to be in that position. But know this. Masonry is about self-development. It is not a singular idea but a process. At the end, we will know intuitively if we have made ethical decisions or followed the flock. We will know precisely when we are rationalizing our behaviour. And we will judge ourselves kindly for it, because we are a Mason. And we will begin to comprehend the distinction between expedient and meaningful life.