                               Brotherhood

In the lecture of the Entered Apprentice Degree the candidate is
reminded of the tenets of Freemasons - Brotherly Love, Relief, and
Truth. Tonight I want to focus on the first of these tenets - that is
on the concept of Brotherly Love and to do so within its Masonic
context. By the exercise of Brotherly Love, we are taught to regard
the whole human species as one common family - the high, the low, the
rich and poor who, as the creations of one Almighty Parent and as
inhabitants of the same planet, are sent into the world to aid,
support, and protect each other. On this principle, we are informed,
Free Masonry unites men of every country, sect, and opinion, and
conciliates true friendship among those who might otherwise remain at
a perpetual distance.

This beautiful passage of ritual clearly establishes the platform on
which we as Masons stand. It is Utopian in content, of course, and as
such it provides a setting wherein one may find the opportunity to
subjectively and pragmatically consider the meaning of the concept of
brotherhood. Some Masons hold to the belief that brotherhood should
permit and encourage diversity of opinion and thought. Others,
however, no less devout in their support of the fraternity, insist
that Masonry, in its purest form, is a system of rigid and well
defined human relationships that should never ever be transgressed.

This diversity of view is reflected in our society in many ways.
Dostoevski, the great Russian novelist, treated the issue of
brotherhood in depth in his account of the Brothers Karamazov, three
blood brothers who reacted quite independently and quite differently
in the aftermath of a family tragedy. Were the Karamazov brothers
different from other brothers in this regard? Apparently not, for if
we look at the life and times of many actual brothers of note, it
would appear that individuality usually prevails over uniformity. That
this is so is suggested by what we know of the life and times of the
brothers Carnegy, Dorsey, Everley, Grimm, Gershwin, Warner, Wright,
Dimaggio, and a host of others. A certain amount of subjective
individuality thus appears to be the norm.

If this be so it is essential that we strive to constructively channel
our efforts to useful ends, being always mindful of our obligation to
insure that in our zeal to obtain our personal goals in the name of
brotherhood, we do not create barriers that may separate us from
others. Unfortunately excesses, born out of man's preoccupation with
self, have throughout the course of history led to attacks on the
concept of the Brotherhood of Man. "The worst sin toward our fellow
creatures," George Bernard Shaw once wisely observed, "is not to hate
them, but to disregard them; that's the essence of inhumanity." Billy
Graham, in turn, observed that "the world has become a neighborhood,
without becoming a brotherhood." These are serious criticisms of the
world society that we share.

Without question we live in a world that is selfish and indifferent,
and one wonders why this is so. Why do we have wars and the threats of
war in so many places today? Why are there so many millions of people
wandering the face of the earth, sick in mind, body, and spirit,
seemingly without hope for a better tomorrow? Why is there a lack of
brotherhood amongst those who believe themselves to be the children of
God?

There are a number of plausible answers that might be advanced, and to
that end I should like to refer to specific lessons pertaining to
brotherhood as recorded in my copy of the Great Light of Masonry. The
first of these lessons suggests that anger can and often does impair
brotherhood. Oh how prone we are, when things are going wrong, to
attempt to place blame ne on others. In such circumstances almost any
scapegoat will do.

Think, if you will, about Cain and Abel, perhaps the first blood
brothers to be born on earth. These brothers, the sons of Adam and
Eve, lived normal lives through childhood, and during their formative
years they developed, as did you and I their personal likes and
dislikes. Cain, we are told, became a tiller of the soil and Abel, the
keeper of sheep.

Ostensibly they got along well together. Further, we have no evidence
that even as adults, they did not relate properly to one another until
that fateful day when Cain's offering was rejected and Abel's was
accepted. Cain was angry and disappointed, and in his sorrow and
bitterness, he lost his temper, in consequence of which he slew his
brother.

This did not solve his problem, of course, for it made it impossible
for him to continue his relationship to his God - and that was the
root of his problem. In fact, his murderous act only further
complicated his life, and in answer to the Divine query, "Where is
your brother?," he responded,."I do not know; am I my brother's
keeper?" Of course he was, even though he chose not to be, Let our
consideration of the relationship of Cain and Abel induce us to
resolve that anger shall never be permitted to disrupt the brotherhood
we are striving to establish. May God help us to prevent our
disagreements from becoming disagreeable.

These thoughts lead me to a second observation, to wit: that
brotherhood can be impaired by fixations on greed. Oh, how often we
worship the possession of things. And in the mad scramble to
accumulate and to possess, solely for the satisfaction that is found
in possession, many friendships are shattered.

Think, if you will, of the brothers Esau and Jacob, twin sons of Isaac
and Rebecca. Esau was a hunter, a lover of the outdoors, a respectful
adherent of the freedom that is found on the frontier. His brother, on
the other hand, was a man of the plain, a sedentary type, one who
preferred the comfort of village life.

Jacob was also shrewd, and on finding his brother on one occasion in a
state of hunger, took advantage of him by exchanging a bowl of pottage
for Esau's birthright. But this was not the end of the matter for on
the deathbed of Isaac, the father, Jacob also cheated Esau out of his
father's blessing.

It is obvious that Jacob was less than a brother to Esau, and Esau, in
turn, learned to hate Jacob. Let this account of the relationship of
Esau and Jacob induce us to resolve that greed, in any form, will not
be permitted to disrupt the brotherhood we are trying to create. Let
us never forget that we are, in fact, the stewards and not the owners
of the wealth we have in our possession.

No less an impediment to brotherhood than anger and greed, is envy, on
which brotherhood can also flounder. How many men and how many nations
have suffered because of envy and jealousy? The number must be
enormous. The story that illustrates this as well as any other
concerns the relationship of Joseph to his brothers. Joseph, you will
recall, was the youngest son in a large family, a dreamer, a
visionary, and his father's favorite. He knew he was destined for
greatness, and so did his envious brothers.

Envy, of course, got the better of Joseph's siblings and they sought
and found the opportunity to do ill to their brother Joseph. They
contemplated murder. They threw Joseph into a pit after robbing him of
his possessions, and they sold him, their own brother, into slavery.
Their envy was overpowering. Let our consideration of these acts cause
us to resolve that envy shall never be permitted to disrupt the
brotherhood we are seeking to create.

In my view one of the most interesting stories pertaining to the
establishment of brotherhood is the account of the controversy that
arose between Solomon and Adonijah in their separate quests for power.
This controversy suggests that brotherhood can also be impaired by
unbridled ambition. Both of these men had pretensions to the throne of
David, and both of them had friends in and out of David's court.

The winning ingredient, it seems, was Bathsheeba, the mother of
Solomon. She had more influence with David that did Haggith, the
mother of Adonijah. Further, she was assisted by a very clever
prophet, Nathan. Together they convinced David to anoint Solomon, who
subsequently had Adonijah put to death. Let this account of the
competition of two men for the throne induce us to resolve that quests
for power, born out of envy, shall never be permitted to disrupt the
brotherhood we seek to build. Our duty is to respect and not envy the
preferment of our brothers.

The Great Light further reminds us that brotherhood may be impaired by
act of perceived injustice, a fact that is underscored in the account
of the prodigal son. You all know that story. The youngest son in the
family requested and obtained his inheritance early, and then set out
in the world to make his fortune. But like many youngsters, temptation
and inexperience got in his way. He stumbled; he fell; and he sank to
the lowest depths of society. It was only after he had suffered the
indignities of homelessness that he came to his senses. He went back
to the place of his birth and begged forgiveness.

His reception was mixed. He was welcomed by his father with open arms.
But his return was resented by his brothers, who thought that having
squandered his inheritance, he had come back to share in theirs. This,
they reasoned, unjust. Nevertheless the father remained firm, stating
to his eldest son, "Thou art ever with me, and all that I have is
thine; rejoice for this, thy brother, dead and is alive again; he was
lost and now is found." Let the story of the prodigal son induce us to
resolve that in our zest for justice, we shall not let our self
interests disrupt our quest of brotherhood. Forgiveness is a divine
attribute born out of love.

Although my remarks thus far have been based on occurrences recorded
in the Old Testament, accounts of imperfect brotherhood are by no
means confined to that segment of the Good Book. In fact, we can learn
otherwise by casually reviewing the experiences of the Disciples in
their separate ministries, as recorded in the New Testament.

In Mark 10, for example, we discover that brotherhood can be impaired
by favoritism, if it is not quickly contained and suppressed. I refer
to the attempts of James and John, blood brothers, to attain
preference in glory by asking Christ for assurance that they would sit
on his left and right. This caused dissension among the Disciples, and
had it not been quickly contained, it could have impaired the ministry
that was being forged.

I think that the response of Christ to this appeal is one that we
might all heed, regardless of our personal spiritual persuasions. He
admonished his followers that the price of position was dear. "Can you
drink of the cup that I drink of," he said, before adding his opinion
that "whosoever will be great shall be the servant of all." Let our
understanding of the ambition of James and John induce us to resolve
that our desire for status, position, and preference shall never be
permitted to disrupt the brotherhood we seek. Position, after all, is
something that should be earned and not inherited.

So far we have been speaking largely in negative terms, making the
claim that brotherhood in the world at large has suffered because of
the drives of man. This is only natural for the world we inhabit is
imperfect. But it's imperfections are largely the work of man.
Nevertheless, just as man can cause brotherhood to be impeded, he can
- through love, forgiveness, and understanding - build to the end that
we all seek. It is around that goal that we should rally,

Let me conclude by recognizing that although not all of the
brotherhood of this world is to be found in our Masonic circle, there
are few other places where the concept is so appreciated. It is for
that reason that we in the family of Masonry should maximize our
efforts on behalf of the cause. We have a good product to sell. And as
the future of mankind may well depend on what we and others of like
mind do, we should recognize our obligation to do good unto all, to
respond to the claims that are laid upon us, and to work ceaselessly
for the brotherhood of man under the fatherhood of God.

I should like to now close with a final observation. It is personal,
and it been with me since the days of my youth. It is simply this. I
found the bonds of brotherhood and fellowship to be strongest for me
during the period of my active duty with a combat flying group in
Corsica and Italy during World War II. This may seem strange to you
for our presence there was to wage war. But never before, and
certainly never since, have I experienced the ties that linked the men
of my group at that time. We had an unquestioned unity of purpose, and
in working for it, we lived together, worked together, played
together, worried together, and when occasion called for it, we wept
together, in sorrow and in joy. We were a team, a brotherhood, and we
were invincible in our cause.

My Companions, we can, if we will, duplicate the intensity of mutual
concern and regard that I once found in that bomb group in Europe. And
if we will, we can - through Freemasonry and Freemasons working in and
out of our Masonic bodies, give real meaning to our professed purpose
It is my prayer that you will think on these things and redouble your
efforts to enhance the Craft by building brotherhood wherever you go,
carefully avoiding the hindrances you will meet along the way - such
things as undue anger, the lust for things, envy, ambition, imagined
injustice, and favoritism.

Finally, companions, let me implore you to look kindly on your
neighbor. Even if it a little thing, do something for those you find
to be in need, something for which you get no pay, other than the
privilege of doing it. Remember, you don't live in a world that is all
your own. Your brothers are here too. Keep that always in mind. Every
human being has a claim on your kind offices; do good unto all ever
acknowledging the duty we have to live in peace, one with another, for
the benefit of all. Let us insure that by working together in
Freemasonry, we will really be able to unite men of every country,
sect, and opinion - not only for our personal benefit, but also for
the benefit of mankind, now and in all generations yet to be.

Stewart W. Miner Adoniram-Zabud Council May 24,1999


