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Address of R.W.
Bro.
Deane A. Murdy RESPONSIBILITY In this life we have many things that claim our attention. Family, church, work and even play all need to be balanced to maintain an upright and level life style. Every person in the world is faced with these and what makes us different is our response to them. Let’s start with family. There are those individuals, both men and women for whom family is the overriding concern within their lives. We have all seen the overprotective parent, the spouse who worries constantly or is extremely jealous and the child who will not leave mothers side. On the opposite side of the coin there are those who should not be have children. These are the cheaters, the people who leave their family at home while they are gambling, and the abusers. Family is a responsibility and each of us will respond to that responsibility differently. It is the way we respond that determines if we will balance our family lives. It takes patience, forbearance, love, and the four cardinal virtues of Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence, and Justice to discharge the responsibility of raising a family. It is incumbent upon each of us to walk an even keel to properly manage our lives. To raise children who have not been so abused and ignored that they end up as statistics on a police blotter nor to restrict them so severely that their personal growth is retarded. It is our responsibility to allow our spouses the freedom to make the choice that will allow them to continue to flourish and evolve in their lives. Work brings with it many different challenges. Here again it is how we respond to these challenges that determine how much responsibility we will be given. Too often we see the individual who is content to go from task to task, who, if not directed will do one thing then quit until instructed what should be done next. This individual is not looking for responsibility, they are content to just drift along. Then there are those individuals who are the over achievers. The ones everybody hates. They gather more and more power unto themselves, give orders where they have no authority and undermine those who are in authority. Neither of these individuals are the ones what you want to work with. People that will act with you in a square manner and shoulder their fair share of the burden, these are the individuals that any organization wants. Those that will be responsible, not only to themselves, but to those around them. We also have a responsibility towards God. He must not be ignored in our daily lives. We can not assume that he will be there for us if we ignore him on a daily basis. Nor can we ignore all other things in our worship of Him. It says in the lecture to the entered apprentice, “that we should never fail to mention his name without awe and reverence due from the creatures to his creator. By Imploring his aid in all our lawful undertakings and looking up to him in every emergency for comfort and support”. The next part of the lecture mentions are responsibilities to our neighbours and ourselves. If we do not walk a level course between these duties we are not doing ourselves any justice. By now you each will have noted a word that has been used several times in this talk. That word is responsibility. We each, when we join the lodge, are responsible for our truth and obligations. Once we are members there are many other responsibilities. The steward are responsible for the set up of the lodge, the Tyler and inner guard must determine that none but masons are present, the junior warden superintends the craft while at refreshment, the senior warden assists the master in his charge of running the lodge. We are all, no matter our rank responsible to each other for our conduct, not only in the lodge but outside our tiled doors. Indeed, one of our greatest responsibilities is to make sure that what we do in our daily lives does not bring disrespect to our fraternity. To have some one say with admiration in their voice that he is a Mason is important. What is more important is to never hear that said with derision and scorn. This is a great responsibility and those who join the Masonic order are generally those who are responsible in their daily lives. We seldom see the over-achiever from the work-place because he has other concerns. Nor do we often see the lazy and uncommitted who will not take on responsibility those that would rather lie around and watch TV. Our members are those who are balancing their daily lives. They pay attention to their family life, their work and their play. When given a job they do that task without complaint, at least not much. They are not looking for undue praise for merely discharging the normal duties of their office, for they are responsible, not only to themselves but to others. Who among us has not felt terrible for a poorly done piece of ritual? What makes us feel bad is our sense of responsibility. And this is one of what I believe is the defining characteristics of a mason- responsibility. Thank you. |
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