You know something? Well if you know me, you’ll know that since 1989 I’ve been a Freemason – hmm that’s 20 years I guess!
But when I’m asked, I still find it hard to articulate what Freemasonry is all about – I know that I just enjoy it, the challenge, the ceremonies, the ‘fellowship’(now there’s a funny old-fashioned expression!) and seeing something I cherish practiced sometimes quite differently across the world from America to England and to Australia.
Just bear with me for a few minutes? Go here and read ‘What is Freemasonry’ if you want to discover what it’s really all about – you can read Dan Brown’s version in The Lost Symbol but personally, I prefer this definition.
Today I was struck by something I read – and I thought I’d just share it – it tries to define what a dilemma we all have when we try to describe something which means different things to different people.
Apparently there is a Buddhist parable used in teachings whereby six blind men each try to describe an elephant:
"Six blind men were asked to determine what an elephant looked like by feeling different parts of the elephant's body. The blind man who feels a leg says the elephant is like a pillar; the one who feels the tail says the elephant is like a rope; the one who feels the trunk says the elephant is like a tree branch; the one who feels the ear says the elephant is like a hand fan; the one who feels the belly says the elephant is like a wall; and the one who feels the tusk says the elephant is like a solid pipe."
It teaches the lesson that truth can be described in many different ways and yet still be truth.
I think you may be just a little wiser than when you started to read this, at least I hope so!
