The Level is the one symbol that distinguishes Freemasonry very differently from all other organizations and societies in the world and has the potential to make it a world leader in advocating peace. There is no Masonic distinction or division of religion, race, wealth, title or political persuasion. All Masons are equal in stature and operate on the level. Masons seek to share what they have in common and keep away from that which divides them.
Every Lodge is an oasis of peace, every Mason a non violent member of his community. Tolerance and non judgmental-ism are the guides a Mason uses to interact with his fellow human beings and live a peaceful life. He doesn’t sanction evil but he does adopt a position of peaceful coexistence with many different paths. Thus the lesson of the video is one every Mason has learned and practices.
Yet the influence that Freemasonry has upon civil society and world peace is very much diminished from what it used to be. This can be attributed to the banning of any involvement with religion or politics. This purging of all interaction with society except in charitable causes is a corruption of the original design of Freemasonry. It reminds me a great deal of the civil argument over separation of church and state where freedom of religion is being interpreted as freedom from religion.
Freemasonry prohibits sectarian religion and partisan politics. In other words it wants no proselytizing within its ranks. Thus non sectarian religion and non partisan politics is perfectly acceptable. So there should be no compunction to avoid issues like honesty in government, world peace or support for schools both private and public. Nor should Freemasonry hesitate to speak out against ethnic cleansing, racial prejudice, false imprisonment, and other violations of human rights.
If Freemasonry desires to have the support and membership of the intellectuals, power brokers, and leaders in arts and sciences then it is going to have to come out of its cocoon and interact with society and become a force in its own right in the world. Freemasonry was never designed to be a cloistered sect.
If Freemasonry can become a force for good in the life of an individual it also can become a force for good in the life of the world. If Paul Revere was here today he would tell you so.
