From the West – January 2013

Brethren,

Beginning in High School and continuing throughout our professional careers, most of us are called upon to give reports, sometimes just in the form of a talk, and at other times, with the aid of handouts, or projected presentations. It has been suggested that there should be 10 minutes of research for every 1 minute of presentation, even more for shorter presentations. It is also well known that the person who learns the most from the presentation is the presenter.

As such there is a two-fold reason for learning the Masonic ritual. The first and most obvious is so that I, as Senior Warden, have a larger pool of willing and able brothers to draw from to add variety and wider participation in our ritual work. But perhaps the more important reason, is that by committing these words to memory, we learn the lessons and ideals to which we so adamantly profess to adhere.

When opportunities arise suddenly, the strength and conviction to make the wise choices and life decisions that separate the remarkable man from the commoner can only come to us in proportion to the amount of knowledge of Masonry’s ageless wisdom that we possess at that very moment.

Fraternally,
Keir Hales
Senior Warden