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A PLEA FOR MORE LIGHT
with compliments of
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PLEASE NOTE:
The following is the abridged text of a lecture submitted by Bro. Peter Kumm, Makepeace Lodge No 3674 E.C., MALASIA, and published in the VLOR's transactions for 1995 entitled Freemasonry Uncovered'.
The full text may be obtained by email from the Correspondence Circle Secretary, W Bro Graeme Love. Please be sure include your snail-mail address and sufficient information to identify your masonic standing.
by Peter Kum, MM
Makepeace Lodge No. 3674 E.C. (Malaysia)
PREFACE:
This paper is a radical departure from the ones normally delivered at Fidelity
Lodge. It does not seek to impart knowledge, nor does it attempt to illuminate
some aspect of Masonic symbolism or allegory. It is in fact a plea for more
Masonic sustenance. In other words, for more Masonic Light.
In writing this paper, I feel I may also be speaking on behalf of many newly raised Masons, particularly the ones who joined in the belief that Freemasonry has much more to offer than mere social clubs. Before I made the decision to apply for admission, I took the trouble to find out as much as I could about Freemasonry. I was attracted by the idea of fraternity or brotherhood. But what attracted me more was the promise that Freemasonry makes. That is to make better human beings of those who partake in its activities and drink at its fount of wisdom.
It was natural that when I was given my Book of Rituals, that I should want to read it very carefully, only avoiding the portion relating to the installation of a Master. This was because I was told not to. I studied the Preface, the ceremonies for opening and closing the Lodge in the three degrees. I read the ceremonies for the first, second and third degrees. And I read and pondered on all the lectures. Apart from the philosophical thoughts that were sprinkled here and there in the lectures, I also got the impression that stories of the Old Testament were being used as vehicles to convey carefully thought-out lessons, designed for the making of the good human being.
After my exaltation in the Royal Arch ceremony and on studying the Chapter ritual, it dawned on me that the three degrees and the Royal Arch ritual, in reality represented four separate phases, spanning the duration of a human life. Birth and Childhood corresponded with the First Degree; it was the act of entering the world in a s.....of d....., or the act of being born again into new light, Masonic Light. The Second Degree represented the period of adolescence; the period of the schoolboy, his schooling, training and other inputs to prepare him for the role of a fit member of regularly organized adult society. It was the period of intense study, particularly of the liberal arts and sciences. The Third Degree represented the grown man; the product of a liberal and enlightened education, the doer of deeds; fully equipped intellectually and spiritually to play his assigned role in the scheme of things, the builder of his own destiny and maybe, that of society as well. At the same time, while pursuing material achievements, he is also reminded of his mortality; in case his success and ambition should blind him to the true reason for his existence and his inevitable destiny. The Chapter phase, at my present level of understanding, seemed to represent the period of eventual decline, when thoughts about the flesh begin to fade and material pursuits begin to reduce in importance. It is that phase when people lament over waning powers and faculties. It is also the phase of heightened thoughts about the dreaded unknown hereafter. In the face of this apprehension and fear, it is the phase when people turn their thoughts to the G.A.O.T.U. for solace and succour.
If my surmise about the four phases is correct, then the question that comes to mind is: "Wouldn't it be useful to give due and exhaustive attention to each of those phases? Wouldn't the mental exploration of each of those phases yield rewarding hindsights and perhaps also very useful hints for those who are not yet in the final phase?" I have also been giving a fair amount of thought to the intent of the Rituals and their attendant ceremonies and lectures. I cannot escape the belief that the Book of Rituals is merely a bare outline, pointing at hidden substance and inviting analysis and greater in-depth inquiry. It would seem that each ceremony is merely the starting point from where research and study could be gainfully made. Throughout the workings and rituals, in all the degrees, are references to concepts and ideas which, off- hand, may appear simple and easy to grasp. Explanations and definitions are given for some of them in the lectures. But these explanations are far from exhaustive. There are many ideas and concepts in the First Degree ceremony on which a lot more light should be thrown. The ceremony opens on promises like "admitted into the mysteries and privileges of ancient Freemasonry" and "assisted by the teaching of our Masonic Art, he may be enabled to display the beauties of true godliness." What exactly do these statements mean? Does it mean that a Freemason, after having imbibed for a number of decades of Masonic teachings and qualifying himself for exalted offices, would be able to display a greater degree of godliness than the new initiate?
In the "North East Corner" a hope is voiced that the initiate may hereafter raise a "superstructure" perfect in all its parts. It would useful if more light is shed on this concept of a superstructure. What instructions are being given to enable the initiate to identify and raise such a superstructure that would be honourable to the Builder? Later, in the First Degree Working Tools, reference is made to the "force of conscience". One often encounters the word conscience but do all people share identical concepts of what it means and implies? What really is this thing called conscience. Are people born with it? If it is not innate in all human beings, then the quality and content of such conscience would differ from individual to individual. If it is acquired, then how and at what stage in life does it arise in us? Does the conscience always give us the right promptings? Is the conscience always right? I would plead for more light here. The word "justice" is mentioned in the charge. Here again, a greater in-depth understanding of the word would be very useful.
The great Scottish thinker David Hume said that "public utility is the sole origin of justice". The noted French philosopher, Jacques Rosseau, said: "Law is the invention of the strong to chain the weak." The ancient Greek sophist, Pericles, said:" Right is only in question for equals in power; the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must." And another Greek, the famous Plato, said:" Justice is a relation among individuals, depending on social organisation." He went on to say that "justice is the having and doing what is one's own." What are our thoughts on this concept called "justice"?
At the opening of the Initiation Ceremony, the Tyler presents the candidate and describes him as being "a free man". Since slavery has been expunged from modern societies, why the reference to "free man"? Does it mean freedom from prejudices, or freedom from wrongly held beliefs and convictions? Or should it be freedom from ignorance and the shackles of wrongly conceived inhibitions or base passions? I would plead for more light here.
In the Charge there is a reference to the "Antient Landmarks of the Order." What or which are the Antient Landmarks? How did they come about? What are the Landmarks in Malaysian Freemasonry? In the second lecture in the First Degree, explanations are given for the Three Principal Staves or Rounds of Jacob's Ladder. They are said to represent Faith, Hope and Charity, and the three Grand Principles of Freemasonry, which are Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth. While the explanations given are useful, they cannot be described as exhaustive. Faith, Hope and Charity, brotherly love, relief and truth are very commonly encountered concepts. But rarely do people stop to take each of these concepts and ponder upon them in sufficient depth to ascertain their meaning and the implications they convey. Because they are such mundane terms, people tend to gloss over them. The result is that they tend to mean different things to different people. Take the word "love" for instance. It is a word we feel we all understand. In fact, we use it quite frequently to convey favourable emotions of one kind or another. But do we all share the same understanding of it? To a lot of young people the word "love" appears to be a commodity for bartering; hence the often heard utterance: "Why should I love him when he does not love me?" Very often, the word "love" is used in an egocentric sense, to express desire for exclusive ownership or some carnal urge. A woman's love for her children is not quite the same kind of love for her husband. Some say, to love is to gratify oneself. What then is this thing called "love". More light should be thrown on it so that the "brotherly love" we practise among our brethren is benevolent and not self-serving.
Another commonly used word is "Truth". A certain amount of light has been thrown on the concept "Truth" -- in fact, about eleven and a half lines of it in the Book of Rituals. Such a brief exposition is hardly sufficient to do justice to the implications of the concept "Truth". What is truth? What is its proper definition? Since our value judgments are based mainly on the truths we store away in our memory banks, it would appear vital that only real truths are stored away. But how do we ascertain truth? We often accept the input of our senses as truths. Sometimes we accept as truths the deductions of our intellect. We also often accept as truth, hearsay from what we believe to be reliable sources. Do our senses always record the truth? At this very moment our senses tell us that we are immobile. You are seated in your chairs and the chairs are firmly on the floor. In actual fact, apart from the atoms bouncing about in your bodies and the chairs you sit on, you are really traveling at more than 66,000 miles an hour at this very instant. That's the truth and the answer is quite simple. The earth revolves on its axis once in 24 hours. This alone causes you to travel at more than a thousand miles an hour. In addition to that, it takes the earth one full year to complete one orbit around the sun. And to achieve this, it must travel at more than 66,000 miles an hour.
Often our intellects provide us with deductions that are totally untrue. The Greek thinker Aristotle deduced that there could be no void or vacuum in nature, for in a vacuum all bodies would fall with equal velocity. He can be forgiven for this, because he had no access to proper scientific tools. But our ladies won't forgive him that readily for his "truth" about women. Aristotle pronounced:" Woman is an unfinished man, left standing on the lower step in the scale of development. The male is by nature superior". The force of accumulated custom tends to give rise to wrongly held moral truths. The caste system in India is one such "moral truth". The Brahmin is defiled even if the shadow of the untouchable were to merely fall on him. He must proceed post-haste to the temple to cleanse himself. In Polynesia, the men do the cooking. They do this not out of regard for their wives but because moral truth has it that women defile the food they touch. In some societies it is considered very bad luck if a husband were to deflower his bride. The girl must be deflowered on reaching puberty. In many societies girls who lost their virginity before marriage would be regarded as unchaste.
Some of our dearly held moral truths may have no basis at all. And since they tend to influence our value judgments, it would be worthwhile if we were to dredge up our store of moral truths and scrutinise them critically in the full glare of Masonic Light. There are many other concepts on which more light should be thrown. Among these are virtue, morality, humility and nature. There is something in the Third Degree that calls for exhaustive examination. And that is the item in M.M. Light which, after reminding us of our inevitable destiny, goes on to say "would guide your contemplation to the most interesting of human studies, the knowledge of yourself."
How well do we know ourselves? Or shall it be, how little we know about ourselves. The Greek philosopher, Socrates, said: "There is no real philosophy until the mind turns around and examines itself." He exhorted:" Know thyself." What is this thing call self? An Indian guru used to confound his students with this question: "Are you, you?" Many Eastern thinkers are of the opinion that the concept "self" is an illusion. Is "self" an invention of the mind? Are people born good or bad? Do they come into this world equipped with ability to differentiate between right and wrong?
The noted British thinker, John Locke, has this to say: "Are ideas of good and bad inherent in our minds from birth, prior to all experience? All our knowledge comes from experience and through our senses - there is nothing in the mind except what was first in the senses." What do we think?
In closing, I would like to make the observation that the book entitled "The Revised Rituals" is a splendid piece of writing. It may well go by the title "How to be a better human being". But despite is large store of wisdom, it is at the very best only an outline rather than a comprehensive manual.
There is need, and I quote the Second Lecture in the First Degree, "to draw aside this mingled veil of allegory and symbolism, and to penetrate more deeply into our Mysteries than the ordinary routine work our Lodge enables us to do." Hence my plea for more light.
[Ed. Sadly, our most esteemed brother has, since, passed to the Grand Lodge above.]
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Updated: 15 September 2004
