Page 15 - 2018 Summer

IT’S GOOD TO BE A 12!
Masonic Tribune
Volume XCIX No.1 - Summer 2018 Issue - Page 15 istrict 12 is the best! The Grand Master said
Dso and we have it on video! When you placed
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much thought about a gift for anyone, you are
it is a place where tribal warfare is supported highlighting the adage “it’s not the gift but the
by memes someone fabricated in Photoshop, thought that counts!” What do you give to a Grand
or by some unsupported statistics posted in Master, more Masonic items? He’s probably got a
some critic’s twitter feed. We are better than roomful of them over his many years of service to
this. The prominent social media platforms the Craft. Does it have to be expensive? Does it
are all designed to surround you with opinions have to be in the category of shiny and bright with
that match your own – further entrenching you purple and gold?
in the “correctness” of your position. Careful On April 14, 2018, the seven lodges of District
attention must be paid to fact checking any No.12, within the borders of Bremerton, Port
curetted set of facts that suddenly appear on Gamble and Bainbridge Island, gathered togeth-
your feed. We can do better than this. er at William Renton Lodge No. 29 to celebrate
Further, if your Online presence includes a our annual District meeting with the Grand Mas-
ter and his team. It was a resounding success! A
public display of your membership in Freema- total of 117 jersey-wearing, smiling faces of family
sonry (non-anonymous presence), then you and friends showed up at our annual gathering.
need to elevate your dialog to a higher level. Towards the end of the program, two special gifts
Every character, syllable, word, or sentence were ready to be given. First, we presented MWB
reflects the good-bad-ugly on our Fraternity. Warren and Lady Mary Jo with a very simple en-
Are we not the men who “… are one whom graving of two hands holding each other, with their
the burdened heart may pour out its sorrow, to names etched on each and their wedding anniver-
whom distress may prefer its suit, whose hand sary date inscribed below. That alone was enough
is guided by justice, and whose heart is ex- to touch them both including a few hearts from the
panded by benevolence?” I find it disappoint- audience. The second was more of a fun gift for
ing when witnessing the interactions between our GM. I pulled out an eight inch round clear acryl-
my brothers and hope we can all pause a mo- ic and in it was a blown-up engraving of his coin
ment to reconsider more than just being right. logo. The fun was in the manner of presentation
Empathy and attention to the bigger picture will and was presented this way: “Grand Master, this
lead you back to our principal virtues on which may look like just an ordinary acrylic engraving of
this great Fraternity is founded. your coin logo but it is more high tech than it looks.
It slips on top of this high-tech base which actually
Lastly Brethren, if one research- lights up. There is no switch, only voice activated
es The Royal Society, the early with a password and only your voice can turn it on.”
predecessor to Freemasonry, I then placed the acrylic on the base, gave him the
you see the origins of the prohi- password written on a piece of paper and asked
bition of discussions on politics him to read it out loud, to which he very much com-
and religion. Dago Rodriguez, plied. The base light turned on and it illuminated
PM and Editor of the Fraternal his Masonic logo very well! The password…? DIS-
Review wrote of The Royal So- TRICT 12 IS THE BEST!!! Of course, I forgot to tell
ciety, “Take no one’s word.” This him that I was holding the remote controlled switch
is to say that one ought to do in my pocket! After the laughter and clapping died
their homework regarding facts of the matter down, I told him that there
in a search for Truth. And, he writes, “Truth was another way of turning
it on when he is not around.
is the goal to knowledge, and Tolerance is the Same password but it has to
pathway.” be yelled out by at least 12
or more people. So I turned
VWB Doug Stamper to the audience and asked
Deputy of the Grand Master them for the password, and
District No. 7 the whole room yelled that we
are the best!
Fraternally,
VWB Romy Labonete
Deputy of the Grand Master
District No. 6
Promote! Promote! Promote!

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